Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Orientation Preferences and Motion Sickness Induced in a Virtual Reality Environment.

BACKGROUND Astronauts' orientation preferences tend to correlate with their susceptibility to space motion sickness (SMS). Orientation preferences appear universally, since variable sensory cue priorities are used between individuals. However, SMS susceptibility changes after proper training, while orientation preferences seem to be intrinsic proclivities. The present study was conducted to investigate whether orientation preferences change if susceptibility is reduced after repeated exposure to a virtual reality (VR) stimulus environment that induces SMS. METHODS A horizontal supine posture was chosen to create a sensory context similar to weightlessness, and two VR devices were used to produce a highly immersive virtual scene. Subjects were randomly allocated to an experimental group (trained through exposure to a provocative rotating virtual scene) and a control group (untrained). All subjects' orientation preferences were measured twice with the same interval, but the experimental group was trained three times during the interval, while the control group was not. RESULTS Trained subjects were less susceptible to SMS, with symptom scores reduced by 40%. Compared with untrained subjects, trained subjects' orientation preferences were significantly different between pre- and posttraining assessments. Trained subjects depended less on visual cues, whereas few subjects demonstrated the opposite tendency. CONCLUSION Results suggest that visual information may be inefficient and unreliable for body orientation and stabilization in a rotating visual scene, while reprioritizing preferences for different sensory cues was dynamic and asymmetric between individuals. The present findings should facilitate customization of efficient and proper training for astronauts with different sensory prioritization preferences and dynamic characteristics.Chen W, Chao J-G, Zhang Y, Wang J-K, Chen X-W, Tan C. Orientation preferences and motion sickness induced in a virtual reality environment. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(10):903-910.
Maternal–neonatal amino acid blood levels in relation to the mode of delivery

Objective. To investigate the effect of the mode of delivery on maternal–neonatal amino acid levels as high blood levels of some amino acids are implicated with endurance exercise. Design. Comparative study. Sample. Thirty women in normal pregnancy divided into two groups: Group A (n = 15) with normal labor and vaginal delivery and group B (n = 15) with scheduled cesarean section. Material and methods. Blood was obtained from the mothers pre‐ versus post‐delivery as well as from the umbilical cord. Routine laboratory tests (liver enzymes, muscle enzyme, etc.) and the amino acid blood levels were measured with a clinical chemistry analyzer and tandem mass spectrometry methods, respectively. Results. Routine laboratory tests and the amino acid blood levels were similar in the two groups of mothers pre‐delivery. Total antioxidant status levels were reduced, whereas the branched‐chain amino acids (BCAAs) and alanine levels were remarkably elevated in the sera of group A post – delivery, whereas they remained unaltered in group B at the same time of study. The mentioned BCAAs and alanine levels were higher in the umbilical cord blood of group A than those in group B. The rest of the amino acids were similar. Conclusions. The increased BCAAs and alanine blood levels in mothers of group A may be related to uterine and skeletal muscle contractions during the vaginal delivery process and the high levels in the umbilical cord blood of their neonates may mirror those of the mothers. The elevation of BCAAs both in mothers of group A and their neonates may exclude or minimize tyrosine and tryptophane levels from entry in the brain resulting in decreased biogenic amine and increased prolactin production in the central nervous system of these mothers and their infants.
Les causes de l’essor et de l’éclatement de la bulle des prix agricoles

The article analyses the short term and structural causes of the explosion and collapse of agricultural prices. It exempts China and India and underlines the U.S. and EU responsibilities: agrofuels, financial speculation, lower ending stocks of cereals, their food trade deficit and the EU deficit in cereal trade in 2007-08. The article reminds the structural mechanisms having undermined the agricultural economies of developing countries, victims of food riots, following the progressive liberalization of agricultural trade.
Swedish air travellers and voluntary carbon offsets: towards the co-creation of environmental value?

There is now a broad consensus that aviation is a significant contributor to global warming. One question that thus arises is whether voluntary carbon-offsetting schemes can make a significant contribution to mitigating the contribution of aviation to climate change. These schemes have seen considerable growth in recent years, even though the overall amount of emissions offset remains negligible: tour operators and airlines offering voluntary carbon offsets report that customers show limited interested in these schemes. In the light of this, the article seeks to discuss the implications of voluntary carbon-offsetting schemes as a means of compensating emissions from aviation, and goes on to assess air travellers' knowledge of and attitudes to these schemes. Structural problems that have to be overcome to create broader interest in voluntary carbon offsetting are discussed in the context of co-creation of environmental value at the level of economic transactions between individual passengers (consumers) and airlines (producers), based on a survey of Swedish air travellers.
Wireless power transfer for contactless instrumentation and measurement

Wireless power transfer (WPT) is an old subject, introduced for the first time by Nikola Tesla in the twentieth century [1]. His patent proposal was based on the magnetic resonance of two coils to distribute large amounts of energy to distant places of consumption. The subject returned to the mainstream in the last decade due to the exponential growth in the number of electronic devices. Currently, the main goal is to achieve ubiquity of WPT with the consolidation of the Internet of Things (IoT). How to supply the energy necessary to operate this huge network of gadgets is still a problem waiting for a solution. Three main aspects must be considered when outlining the powering strategy of those forthcoming technologies: small physical volume, high energy efficiency, and compatible aesthetics. Other emerging topics have similar requirements, such as battery-less medical implanted devices, remote contactless, and radio frequency identification (RFID), to mention a few.
Knowledge and Identity in the Design Field

This research investigates knowledge and identity in design education by examining perceptions of achievement and membership within four design disciplines: engineering, architecture, digital media and fashion design. Drawing on concepts derived from sociology of education (Bernstein, 1977; Maton, 2004, 2006), we theorize how designers and those new to the field recognize and realize design practices, how “knowledge” and “knowers” are specialized, and its relation to the shaping of identity within these disciplines. In order to explore the application of this theory, we conducted in depth interviews with design professionals and a survey with Year 10 students. Preliminary findings discuss how engineering design tends to be perceived as knowledge driven, and is often associated with adjectives such as “scientific” and “technical”. Architecture, digital media and fashion design are described as “artistic” and “creative”. Strategies used within the practice of these disciplines tend to be associated with personal and/or social dispositions, such as “being sensitive” and “having a network of contacts”. Strategies used by engineers tend to emphasize seeking information on procedures and techniques (e.g. books, journals).
Seasonality of Tourism in Wales: A Comparative Analysis

This paper examines the seasonal pattern for different types of domestic tourism demand in the UK during 1994–2000. The focus is on Wales, a region with a particularly pronounced tourism seasonality. The characteristics of the Welsh seasonal pattern are identified and compared with other UK regions, notably Scotland. An overview of various different methods for quantifying these seasonal variations is presented. Various scalar measures are used to evaluate the inequality of the distribution of tourism trips within a year. The stability of seasonal patterns between the years is also examined and more complex methodologies, such as Seasonal Decomposition, are applied in order to assess in detail the differences in the seasonal behaviour of demand among the UK home nations. On the basis of the analysis, policy implications for tackling the seasonality problem are discussed.
Willingness to Pay for Golden Rice in India: A Contingent Valuation Method Analysis

We estimated students’ willingness to pay for golden rice by using the double-bounded contingent valuation method. We found that nearly 55% of the students are willing to buy golden rice at the same price as that of conventional rice, and around 85% at a certain discount. The estimated mean willingness to pay is a 4% price premium. Furthermore, we found that global (food security) and personal (health) benefit perceptions have a positive significant influence, and risk perceptions and sociodemographic variables have an insignificant influence on willingness to pay for golden rice. Overall, our findings indicate that India has a potential market for golden rice.
Structural Framing of Protocol for Secure Multiparty Cloud Computation

Secure Multi party Computation (SMC) is a paradigm that keeps data of individual parties as secret and provides the private data for computation to evaluate some function of their common interest. The outcome of the computation is made available to all the parties. Cloud Computing is a paradigm shift from the distributed computing where an organization uses resources "as service". With the"pay-as-you-go" model, an organization can improve efficiency while minimizing the expenditure and the operation overhead. However, users of the cloud are worrying about the privacy of their data that has been supplied to the cloud provider. The solutions to these problems can be provided by the protocols of the Secured Multi party Cloud Computing (SMCC). In this tutorial, we propose SMC solution techniques that can be embedded while designing architecture of cloud computing especially when multiple cloud users jointly compute some function of their private data inputs. With our experience of developing protocols and devising algorithms for SMC problem we anticipate a crucial role of SMC in cloud computing. In this tutorial, we explore such scenario while discussing various protocols of SMC and their applicability in cloud computing, with the design of SMCC Architecture.
The rôle of transport in firms' spatial organization: evidence from the Spanish food processing industry

This paper explores the role of transport in the spatial organization of food processing firms in Spain. A framework is developed through the analysis of the various mechanisms by which transport affects firms, and the identification of key elements and recent trends in spatial firm organization. Empirical evidence from interviews suggests that with modern logistic strategies transport is becoming more important. In a time‐based competitive environment, transport plays an important role in efforts to reduce delivery times, and increase reliability and flexibility in deliveries, as well as customer responsiveness. Not only does transport influence firms' location decisions, but also by adjusting to transport improvements firms are found to reconfigure their spatial organization.
Europe's ‘Division’ over the war in Iraq

Abstract The profound political crisis within the EU and across Europe before and after the US-led war in Iraq is due primarily to the policies of governments and not diverging views among European publics. Among the majority of EU and European citizens the sense of belonging to Europe is well developed. For this reason the division of Europe over Iraq, aggravated as it was by the resounding French and Dutch ‘No’ votes with regard to the EU Constitution, has not resulted in any irrevocable setback or the division of the continent into two rival camps. The degree to which the EU has truly accelerated the growth of a truly European ‘identity’ among its members' peoples, however, remains unclear.
Adaptional evolution of trichome in Caragana korshinskii to natural drought stress on the Loess Plateau, China

Abstract Caragana korshinskii is commonly employed to improve drought ecosystems on the Loess Plateau, although the molecular mechanism at work is poorly understood, particularly in terms of the plant's ability to tolerate drought stress. Water is the most severe limiting factor for plant growth on the Loess Plateau. The trichome is known to play an efficient role in reducing water loss through decreasing the rate of transpiration, so in this study, we focused on the trichome‐related gene expression of ecological adaptation in C. korshinskii under low precipitation conditions. In order to explore the responses of trichomes to drought, we selected two experimental sites from wet to dry along the Loess Plateau latitude gradient for observation. Micro‐phenomena through which trichomes grew denser and larger under reduced precipitation were observed using a scanning electron microscope; de novo transcriptomes and quantitative PCR were then used to explore and verify gene expression patterns of C. korshinskii trichomes. Results showed that GIS2,TTG1, and GL2 were upregulated (as key positive‐regulated genes on trichome development), while CPC was downregulated (negative‐regulated gene). Taken together, our data indicate that downstream genes of gibberellin and cytokinin signaling pathways, alongside several cytoskeleton‐related genes, contribute to modulating trichome development to enhance transpiration resistance ability and increase the resistance to drought stress in C. korshinskii.
Treatment of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: Retrospective Comparison Between Intravenous Colistin and Intravenous Ampicillin–Sulbactam

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has been increasingly reported as the causative agent of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among patients in the intensive care units. However, there are insufficient data to guide the appropriate treatment for such infection. Our aim was to compare the outcome of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii VAP treated with colistin or with ampicillin–sulbactam. We conducted a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii VAP during 2008 and 2009. Clinical and microbiologic cure rates, 30-day mortality, and change in renal function were compared between patients treated with colistin versus those treated with ampicillin–sulbactam. The association between treatment and mortality was examined through multivariable logistic regression analysis. Of the 98 patients diagnosed with carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii VAP, 66 were treated with colistin and 32 with ampicillin–sulbactam. Baseline characteristics of patients were similar, except for a longer intensive care unit stay and lower creatinine clearance test before VAP diagnosis among patients treated with colistin. Clinical cure rates were similar in the 2 groups. In the colistin group, microbiologic failure rates were higher at 7 days [16/33 (48%) vs. 3/17 (18%); P = 0.03]; patients had a more significant elevation in creatinine (+0.2 ± 1.0 mg/dL vs. −0.3 ± 1.1 mg/dL; P = 0.021), and treatment was associated with an increased 30-day mortality (adjusted-odds ratio, 6.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.348–31.342; P = 0.02). In conclusion, patients treated with colistin or ampicillin–sulbactam had similar clinical cure rates. However, colistin was associated with higher rates of microbiologic failure, reduction in renal function, and an increased 30-day mortality. A prospective study comparing high-dose colistin and ampicillin–sulbactam for the treatment of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii VAP is warranted.
Clinical features and treatment of alveolar echinococcosis

Purpose of review Human alveolar echinococcosis is caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus multilocularis, occurring in at least 42 countries of the northern hemisphere. Recent studies in Europe and Asia have shown that the endemic area of E. multilocularis is larger than previously known and the parasite has regionally expanded from rural to urban areas. Diagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis is supported by results from imaging studies, histopathology and/or nucleic acid detection, and serology. The present review summarizes current understanding of clinical features, knowledge on appropriate treatment, and discusses ways to improve standards of care. Recent findings High prevalences of this deadly disease have been discovered in surveys in parts of China. Clinical manifestations, diagnostic tools and the burden of disease were described, and are based on high case numbers. In Europe, excellent tools have been introduced, which improve disease management. Long-term observations in Switzerland provide an optimistic view, as the infection can be well controlled, if patients are cared for in specialized centres. An expert consensus summarizes the current recommendation for diagnosis and treatment of alveolar echinococcosis by the Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis of the WHO. Summary Diagnosis and treatment of alveolar echinococcosis remains a challenge for clinicians. The updated WHO-recommendations aim to support decisions on diagnosis and treatment of alveolar echinococcosis. Anti-infective therapy is the backbone of treatment; surgery should be restricted to patients at an early stage of the disease. For the majority of cases continuous chemoprophylaxis with benzimidazoles is cost-effective and leads to a good quality of life for patients with this chronic disease.
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome: a comparative analysis in an unselected sample of mediterranean subjects.

AIM The metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk. This study aimed to compare the difference of the three established diagnostic criteria of MS, developed by Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III), American Heart Association (AHA) and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and International Diabetes Federation (IDF), with regard to the prevalence of the syndrome and the ability to correctly identify individuals with cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease or subclinical atherosclerosis. METHODS We studied 947 consecutive patients underwent clinical evaluation between the 1997-2002. The project design included a medical assessment, biochemical analyses and the ecocolordoppler examination of carotid arteries. RESULTS The MS prevalence was 37% in ATPIII subjects, 36% in AHA/NHLBI subjects and 43% in IDF subjects. Excluding patients with diabetes (N.=259), the MS prevalence ranged from 32% (ATPIII and AHA/NHLBI subjects) and 40% (IDF subjects). By most criteria, MS-positive subjects had significant incidence of carotid atherosclerosis (P<0.05) and cardiovascular events (P<0.05) than MS-negative subjects, but not cerebrovascular events. Finally, patients with MS had higher serum levels of fibrinogen (P<0.04). CONCLUSION Subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events were increased in presence of the MS, irrespective of the several definitions.
A multi-modal approach for enhancing object placement

Voice commands have been used as the basic method of interaction between humans and robots over the years. Voice interaction is natural and require no additional technical knowledge. But while using voice commands humans frequently use uncertain information. In the case of object manipulation on a table, frequently used uncertain terms “Left”, “Right”, “Middle”, “Front”…etc. These terms fail to depict an exact location on the table and the interpretation is governed by the robots point of view. Depending solely on vocal cues is not ideal as it requires the users to explain the exact location with more words and phrases making the interaction process cumbersome and less human like. However, using hand gestures to pinpoint the location is as natural as using the voice commands and frequently used when manipulating items on a surface. When compared to voice commands use of hand gestures is a more direct and less cumbersome approach. But when used alone hand gestures can result in errors while extracting the pointed location making the user dissatisfied. This paper proposes a multi-modal interaction method which uses hand gestures combined with voice commands to interpret uncertain information when placing an object on a table. Two fuzzy inference systems have been used to interpret the uncertain terms related to the two axes of the table. The proposed system has been implemented on an assistive robot platform. Experiments have been conducted to analyze the behaviour of the system.
Energy Management by Simulation of Air Handling Unit Degradation Behavior for Planning Maintenance Schedule

In this research, with the aim of effective cost reduction in the commercial building, focuses on maintenance activity of air handling units (AHUs) in water cooled water chiller (WCWC) cooling system, which costs approximately 50 to 60 percent of the electricity cost. This organization absolutely has a certain impact on cost of operation due to energy crisis. This makes the organization concerns about its cooling system's energy consumption whether its utilization is running under waste or not. So management aims to cut down the unnecessary expenditure that is loss of energy cost in this study. Theoretically, taking good maintenance on system may cause less energy consumed. Thus it is important to seek the proper maintenance schedule by trading off between loss of energy cost and maintenance cost. To achieve that objective, understanding the degradation behavior of AHU is significantly meaningful for maintenance manager. Then simulation roadmap has been adopted and applied to this research. Data have been collected from AHUs on the first floor of this commercial building, during March to May, considered summer season in the south of Thailand. The result from this study found out that the optimal maintenance plan is to clean the filters and the cooling coils 54 times per year. It will decrease the total cost to 20 percent comparing to current maintenance plan, which is 28 times per year or every three month. However, other factors should be taken into consideration with this optimal plan such number of operators, rainy season in the south of Thailand, etc
Cardiovascular preparticipation screening of competitive athletes: addendum: an addendum to a statement for health professionals from the Sudden Death Committee (Council on Clinical Cardiology) and the Congenital Cardiac Defects Committee (Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young), American He

In 1996 the American Heart Association published a scientific statement on screening for cardiovascular abnormalities in young athletes participating in organized sports programs in US high schools and colleges. “Cardiovascular Preparticipation Screening of Competitive Athletes” ( Circulation. 1996;94:850–856) served as a critique of current and past screening practices and offered several specific recommendations for future screening endeavors, including the content of history and physical examination questionnaires, the nature and qualifications of designated examiners, and the timing of preparticipation examinations. This statement has become a well-known guideline endorsed by other medical and exercise science organizations. However, the recommendation for timing of preparticipation evaluations has become the source of some discussion. In the original statement, the writing group recommended that …