Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The perception of risk messages through Facebook during severe weather events

iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 Significance. 1 Rationale for Study . 5 General Purpose of Study . 6 Conclusion . 7 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE . 9 Risk and Crisis Communication . 9 Crisis Stages . 10 Precrisis . 11 Crisis . 12 Postcrisis . 13 Weather Perceptions . 15 Risk and Social Media . 16 The Risk Perception Model . 21 Conclusion . 22 CHAPTER 3: METHODS . 23 Research Design. 23 Data Collection . 25 Focus Groups . 25 Sample and Recruitment . 27 Instrument . 30 v Procedures . 30 Data Analysis . 32 Summary . 33 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS . 35 Usefulness . 36 Convenience . 36 Accuracy . 37 Credibility . 40 Credibility of Friends . 41 Credibility of the Message . 42 Socializing. 43 Differences . 44 Negativity . 45 Personal Stake . 46 Excitement . 47 Dread . 47 Entertainment . 48 Confirming Perceptions . 49 Confirming with Other Sources . 49 Confirming with Facebook . 50 Conclusion . 51 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION . 53 Theoretical Implications . 53 vi Application of Model . 53 Support for Current Model. 54 Social Networks and Risk Perception . 54 Congruent with Expectations . 55 Layers of Trust . 57 Practical Implications. 59 Limitations and Future Research . 65 Conclusion . 66 REFERENCES . 68 APPENDIX A: RISK PERCEPTION FACTORS . 84 APPENDIX B: FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS . 85
Vertical structure of boundary layer convection during cold‐air outbreaks at Barrow, Alaska

Boundary layer convection (BLC) is common over high‐latitude oceans and adjacent coastal regions when a cold airmass becomes exposed to a sufficient fetch of open water. The vertical structure of mixed‐phase BLC clouds and precipitation is examined using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program data set collected at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site at Barrow, Alaska. BLC may occur at this location in autumn, when cold air masses originating at higher latitudes advect southward over the still ice‐free coastal waters north of Alaska. This study identifies such BLC and documents its occurrence and characteristics. Instruments used for this study include profiling Ka band radars, a depolarization backscatter profiling lidar, a scanning X band radar, a microwave radiometer, a ceilometer, surface meteorological probes, and radiosondes. Six criteria are applied to objectively identify the BLC events, using data collected between 2004 and 2013. BLC episodes are relatively common at the NSA site, but almost exclusively in the month of October, and most episodes are relatively short, less than 10 h in duration. Liquid water is commonly found in these mixed‐phase BLC clouds, with a typical liquid water path of 150 g/m2, and snowfall rates average ~3 mm h−1 (water equivalent), in some cases over 10 mm h−1, notwithstanding the low cloud echo tops (~1.0–1.5 km). In one rather weak but persistent episode fall speed estimates derived from the profiling Ka band radar indicates the presence of rimed particles, confirming the convective nature of this precipitation.
Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health

lipids the cell wall microbes The cardiovascular system includes the heart located centrally in the thorax and the vessels of the body which carry blood. The cardiovascular (or circulatory) system supplies oxygen from inspired air, via the lungs to the tissues around the body. It is also responsible for the removal of the waste product, carbon dioxide via air expired from the lungs. The cardiovascular system also transports nutrients such as electrolytes, amino acids, enzymes, hormones which are integral to cellular respiration, metabolism and immunity. This book is not meant to be an all encompassing text on cardiovascular physiology and pathology rather a selection of chapters from experts in the field who describe recent advances in basic and clinical sciences. As such, the text is divided into three main sections: Cardiovascular Physiology, Cardiovascular Diagnostics and lastly, Clinical Impact of Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology.
Fecal occult blood screening in the Minnesota study: role of chance detection of lesions.

BACKGROUND In the Minnesota Colon Cancer Control Study, annual fecal occult blood testing reduced mortality from colorectal cancer by at least 33.4%. Some attribute a large part of this reduction to chance detection of cancers by colonoscopies; rehydration of guaiac test slides greatly increased positivity and consequently the number of colonoscopies performed. This study was conducted to determine how much of the reduction resulted from chance detection. METHODS We used a mathematical model developed by Lang and Ransohoff to estimate the proportion of the 33.4% mortality attainable by chance alone. Applying the model requires the specification of five parameters: duration of follow-up, rate of compliance with fecal occult blood testing, rate of compliance with colonoscopy, positivity rate, and efficacy of colonoscopy in reducing colorectal cancer mortality. We took values for four of the five parameters directly from the Minnesota study. For the fifth parameter, efficacy of colonoscopy, we selected a value of 60%, based on the conclusions of another study. Whereas the Lang-Ransohoff model selects persons for colonoscopy by chance alone, those with bleeding cancers would also be selected by sensitive fecal occult blood testing. We therefore adjusted the result of the Lang-Ransohoff model for this dual detectability. RESULTS We found that 16%-25% of the reduction in colorectal cancer deaths effected by fecal occult blood testing in the Minnesota study was due to chance detection; the remainder was due to sensitive detection. CONCLUSION Chance played a minor role in the detection of colorectal cancers by fecal occult blood testing in the Minnesota study.
Promise and Paradox : Measuring Students ’ Non-cognitive Skills and the Impact of Schooling

Martin R. West, Harvard Graduate School of Education Matthew A. Kraft, Brown University Amy S. Finn, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Rebecca E. Martin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Angela L. Duckworth, University of Pennsylvania Christopher F.O. Gabrieli, Harvard Graduate School of Education and Transforming Education John D. E. Gabrieli, Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 2015 Abstract We used self-report surveys to gather information on a broad set of non-cognitive skills from 1,368 8th-graders. At the student level, scales measuring conscientiousness, self-control, grit, and growth mindset are positively correlated with attendance, behavior, and test-score gains between 4thand 8th-grade. Conscientiousness, self-control, and grit are unrelated to test-score gains at the school level, however, and students attending over-subscribed charter schools score lower on these scales than do students attending district schools. Exploiting admissions lotteries, we find positive impacts of charter school attendance on achievement and attendance but negative impacts on these non-cognitive skills. We provide suggestive evidence that these paradoxical results are driven by reference bias, or the tendency for survey responses to be influenced by social context.
Electronic Trading and Market Efficiency in an Emerging Market: The Case of the Jordanian Capital Market

Realizing the benefits of stock markets in real economies, the Jordanian capital market--the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE)--was established in 1978. After more than two decades, the manual trading system of the market was replaced by a computerized trading mechanism on March 27, 2000. The primary objective of the new system is to offer investors more protection and transparency. This paper examines the efficiency of the ASE vis-à-vis the date of its automation. Based on a multifactor model with time-varying coefficients, the results show that the moved to electronic trading system had no significant impact on the ASE's efficiency. For volatility, however, we found evidence that suggests there was an increase in volatility after the introduction of automated trading.
Direct Administration of Nerve-Specific Contrast to Improve Nerve Sparing Radical Prostatectomy

Nerve damage remains a major morbidity following nerve sparing radical prostatectomy, significantly affecting quality of life post-surgery. Nerve-specific fluorescence guided surgery offers a potential solution by enhancing nerve visualization intraoperatively. However, the prostate is highly innervated and only the cavernous nerve structures require preservation to maintain continence and potency. Systemic administration of a nerve-specific fluorophore would lower nerve signal to background ratio (SBR) in vital nerve structures, making them difficult to distinguish from all nervous tissue in the pelvic region. A direct administration methodology to enable selective nerve highlighting for enhanced nerve SBR in a specific nerve structure has been developed herein. The direct administration methodology demonstrated equivalent nerve-specific contrast to systemic administration at optimal exposure times. However, the direct administration methodology provided a brighter fluorescent nerve signal, facilitating nerve-specific fluorescence imaging at video rate, which was not possible following systemic administration. Additionally, the direct administration methodology required a significantly lower fluorophore dose than systemic administration, that when scaled to a human dose falls within the microdosing range. Furthermore, a dual fluorophore tissue staining method was developed that alleviates fluorescence background signal from adipose tissue accumulation using a spectrally distinct adipose tissue specific fluorophore. These results validate the use of the direct administration methodology for specific nerve visualization with fluorescence image-guided surgery, which would improve vital nerve structure identification and visualization during nerve sparing radical prostatectomy.
Identification of saline soils with multiyear remote sensing of crop yields

Soil salinity is an important constraint to agricultural sustainability, but accurate information on its variation across agricultural regions and its impact on regional crop productivity are difficult to obtain. We evaluated the relationships between remotely sensed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yields and salinity in an irrigation district in the Colorado River Delta region. The goals of this study were to: (i) document the relative importance of salinity as a constraint to regional wheat production; and (ii) develop techniques to accurately identify saline fields. Estimates of wheat yield from 6 yr of Landsat data agreed well with ground-based records on individual fields (R 2 = 0.65). Salinity measurements on 122 randomly selected fields revealed that average 0- to 60-cm salinity levels >4 dS m -1 reduced wheat yields, but the relative scarcity of such fields resulted in <1% regional yield loss attributable to salinity. Moreover, low yield was not a reliable indicator of high salinity, because many other factors contributed to yield variability in individual years; however, temporal analysis of yield images derived from remote sensing data showed that a significant fraction of fields exhibited consistently low yields during the 6-yr period. A subsequent survey of 60 additional fields, half of which were consistently low yielding, revealed that this targeted subset had significantly higher salinity at 30- to 60-cm depth than the control group (P = 0.02). These results suggest that consistently low yields are an indicator of high subsurface salinity, and that multiyear yield maps derived from remote sensing therefore hold promise for mapping salinity across agricultural regions.
An empirical study of flood measurement error

At a gaging station, very large peak discharges are usually estimated by extending the rating curve or by making an indirect measurement; hence these discharges are subject to much larger errors than are directly measured discharges. A crude measure of the uncertainty of the largest observed peak discharge at a gaging station is the ratio of the largest directly measured discharge to the largest observed peak discharge. For 46 gaging stations in the State of Wisconsin this ratio ranges from 0.16 to 0.99, with a median of 0.72. For the annual flood series from the half of the gaging stations with the lowest ratios, the coefficients of skewness have considerably higher mean and standard deviation than do those of the remaining flood series. These results are consistent with the impact of measurement error, though they can also be explained by the occurrence of single extremely large floods in several of the annual flood series.
Investigation of dielectric relaxations and conduction mechanism in Aurivillius ceramic Bi5Ti3FeO15

Aurivillius Bi5Ti3FeO15 (BTFO) ceramic is synthesized by the generic solid-state reaction route. The room temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) study confirms that the compound is having single-phase without any impurity. Surface morphology of the prepared sample ensures that the presence of microstructural grains with size around 0.2 to 2 μm is observed. Dielectric properties of sample are investigated as a function of frequency of about 100 Hz to 1 MHz at various temperatures (303 K ≤ T ≤ 773 K). The Nyquist plots of impedance data exhibit a semi-circular arc in high temperature region, which is explained by the equivalent electrical circuit (R1C1) (R2QC2). Our results indicate that resistance as well as capacitance of grain boundary is more prominent over the grains. Analysis of ac conductivity data is done by using Jonscher universal power law ( ) which confirms that the conduction process is σac = σdc +Aωn dominated by the hopping mechanism. The activation energies calculated for relaxation and conduction processes are very close to each other (0.32 eV to 0.53 eV) by which we conclude that the same type of charge carriers are involved in both the processes.
Anomalous Atmospheric Circulation Associated with Recent West African Monsoon Rainfall Variability

The recent West African Monsoon (WAM) wet season (May to October) rainfall’s interannual variability has been examined with emphasis on the rainfall zones of Guinea Coast (GC), Western Sudano Sahel (WSS) and Eastern Sudano Sahel (ESS) in wet and dry years. Rainfall observations from Climate Research Unit (CRU) and Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP), and atmospheric circulation fields from National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) were evaluated from 1979 to 2014. The objectives are to evaluate the trends across the zones and their linear relationship with the identified oceanic pulsations, as well as examine the evolution of the anomalous atmospheric circulation associated with the wet and dry years during the wet season months. The results show remarkable variability across the rainfall zones. The areal averaged rainfall anomalies show significant correlation values of -0.2 with Ocean Nino Index (ONI) only on WSS and ESS respectively, whereas with South Atlantic Ocean Dipole Index (SAODI) it shows significant correlation value of 0.3 only on GC, at 95% Confidence Level from a t-test. The analysis of trends in spatial and temporal patterns of the atmospheric circulation fields has extensively presented attributes associated with the wet seasonal rainfall anomalies in the wet and dry years. FGOALS-s2 model showed an outstanding simulation of the spatial and temporal patterns of these attributes, with the discrepancies noted, hence presenting itself as a viable tool in the prediction of seasonal rainfall extremes over West Africa.
Cholinergic Modulation of Neostriatal Output: a Functional Antagonism between Different Types of Muscarinic Receptors Materials and Methods

It is demonstrated that acetylcholine released from cholinergic interneurons modulates the excitability of neostriatal projection neurons. Physostigmine and neostigmine increase input resistance (R N) and enhance evoked discharge of spiny projection neurons in a manner similar to muscarine. Muscarinic R N increase occurs in the whole subthreshold voltage range (Ϫ100 to Ϫ45 mV), remains in the presence of TTX and Cd 2ϩ , and can be blocked by the relatively selective M 1,4 muscarinic receptor antagonist pirenzepine but not by M 2 or M 3 selective antagonists. Cs ϩ occludes muscarinic effects at potentials more negative than Ϫ80 mV. A Na ϩ reduction in the bath occludes muscarinic effects at potentials more positive than Ϫ70 mV. Thus, muscarinic effects involve different ionic conductances: inward rectifying and cationic. The relatively selective M 2 receptor antagonist AF-DX 116 does not block muscarinic effects on the projection neuron but, surprisingly, has the ability to mimic agonistic actions increasing R N and firing. Both effects are blocked by pirenzepine. HPLC measurements of acetylcho-line demonstrate that AF-DX 116 but not pirenzepine greatly increases endogenous acetylcholine release in brain slices. Therefore, the effects of the M 2 antagonist on the projection neurons were attributable to autoreceptor block on cholinergic interneurons. These experiments show distinct opposite functions of muscarinic M 1-and M 2-type receptors in neostriatal output, i.e., the firing of projection neurons. The results suggest that the use of more selective antimuscarinics may be more profitable for the treatment of motor deficits. Neostriatal cholinergic innervation participates in motor control by the basal ganglia receptors of the M 2 type may work as presynaptic autoreceptors that modif y the release of ACh from spontaneously firing cholinergic interneurons (Consolo et al. Despite these physiological actions, the effects of muscarinic receptor antagonists are not as reproducible as those of 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) at the systemic level. Therefore, they do not constitute the treatment of choice for basal ganglia dysf unctions such as Parkinson's disease (Kopin, 1993; Riederer et al., 1993). Nevertheless, several muscarinic receptors have been cloned (M 1 –M 5), and relatively selective ligands are now accessible (Potter and Purkerson, 1995; C aulfield and Bird-sall, 1998). These ligands have not been thoroughly tested on striatal function or disease models. One reason for this is that antagonist selectivity is still weak (Caulfield and Birdsall, 1998). However, available evidence points toward an important functional segregation between M 1-and M 2-type receptors …
The distribution and ecological role of Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) in a large and shallow reservoir

Invasive species can change ecosystem services, cause loss of biodiversity, alter biogeochemical processes, and significantly affect global economics. Corbicula fluminea is an invasive bivalve found globally in lotic and lentic systems. This study aimed to examine the distribution, density, and potential ecological effects of C. fluminea in Lake Seminole, a large shallow, polymictic reservoir in the S.E. USA by investigating: 1) the density and distribution of C. fluminea; 2) abiotic factors determining abundance; and 3) heavy metals and nutrients accumulating within whole body tissue. This study calculated C. fluminea abundance at 55 ± 29 (mean ± SD) per m, leading to a reservoir-wide estimate of ~4.3 billion. Multivariate analysis showed water depth as the leading factor determining C. fluminea occurrence. Corbicula fluminea siphon large volumes of Lake Seminole potentially playing a role in benthic/pelagic biochemical coupling. Compared to surrounding sediments, C. fluminea whole body tissue had significantly greater concentrations of Zinc, Copper, and Phosphorus. Results show that C. fluminea can thrive in large, shallow reservoirs as well as provide linkages between pelagic and benthic environments.
MICA association with presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS).

PURPOSE MHC class I chain related gene A (MICA), a polymorphic and stress-inducible cell surface molecule, is located centromeric to human leukocyte antigen locus B (HLA-B) in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region on chromosome 6. MICA is thought to be involved in the innate immune response. An alanine repeat polymorphism is present in the MICA transmembrane region, for which several disease associations have been reported. Previous research indicated an association with the HLA-B7-DR2 haplotype. In this study we investigated the association of the polymorphic MICA alanine repeat and the ocular disease presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS). METHODS Twenty-four patients and 106 controls were evaluated for the alanine repeat. A PCR reaction was performed to amplify the polymorphic MICA alanine repeat. Allele lengths of the MICA alanine repeat in patients and controls were determined with GeneScan analysis. RESULTS No significant associations were observed. Phenotype frequencies of the polymorphic MICA alanine repeat were not significantly different between POHS patients and controls. Neither in the complete patient group compared with the control group nor in one of the subdivided patient groups compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the MICA alanine repeat is not a disease-associated factor in POHS. Further analysis of other genes in the B-DR region might elucidate the association of POHS with B7-DR2.
Short Communication Synthesis and Characterization of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles by Thermal Decomposition Method of Iron (III) Chelates

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have numerous applications in the biomedical field. This paper reports the preparation and properties of iron oxide nanoparticles synthesised by thermal decomposition method from iron chelates. The iron oxide nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR, powder XRD, VSM, SEM and TEM techniques. FTIR and powder XRD studies show that iron oxide was formed as α Fe2O3 in its pure form. VSM study shows that the particles have got ferromagnetic property. XRD, SEM and TEM images show that the particles formed are in nanometre crystallite size.
The Changing Tails of a Novel Short Interspersed Element in Aedes aegypti

A novel family of tRNA-related SINEs named gecko was discovered in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Approximately 7200 copies of gecko were distributed in the A. aegypti genome with a significant bias toward A + T-rich regions. The 3′ end of gecko is similar in sequence and identical in secondary structure to the 3′ end of MosquI, a non-LTR retrotransposon in A. aegypti. Nine conserved substitutions and a deletion separate gecko into two groups. Group I includes all gecko that end with poly(dA) and a copy that ends with AGAT repeats. Group II comprises gecko elements that end with CCAA or CAAT repeats. Members within each group cannot be differentiated when the 3′ repeats are excluded in phylogenetic and sequence analyses, suggesting that the alterations of 3′ tails are recent. Imperfect poly(dA) tail was recorded in group I and partial replication of the 3′ tandem repeats was frequently observed in group II. Genomic evidence underscores the importance of slippage retrotransposition in the alteration and expansion of the tandem repeat during the evolution of gecko sequences, although we do not rule out postinsertion mechanisms that were previously invoked to explain the evolution of Alu-associated microsatellites. We propose that the 3′ tandem repeats and the poly(dA) tail may be generated by similar mechanisms during retrotransposition of both SINEs and non-LTR retrotransposons and thus the distinction between poly(dA) retrotransposons such as L1 and non-poly(dA) retrotransposons such as I factor may not be informative.