Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining the Role of Multidimensional Value in Convention Attendee Behavior

This study delves into what causes convention attendees to perceive low or high multidimensional value (MDV) by examining the psychographic and demographic profiles of different tiers of MDV convention attendees (low-, middle-, and high-MDV attendees in this study). This study adopts functional, emotional, and social values to represent MDV. Using cluster and discriminant analyses, findings show that whereas low-MDV attendees negatively perceive convention experiences according to dimensions of the MDV, convention quality, and behavioral intentions, high-MDV attendees favorably evaluate convention experiences along the same dimensions. The demographic profile of high-MDV attendees includes more doctoral degree holders and academic faculty. Positive word of mouth, professional education, and social networking play more powerful roles than site-specific dimensions in discriminating low-, middle-, and high-MDV attendees. An understanding of the different tiers of MDV attendees enables convention planners to better comprehend distinct evaluative perceptions and, thus, to cultivate and sustain high MDV, resulting in loyalty and profit.
Destination Price-Value Perceptions: An Examination of Origin and Seasonal Influences

A consumer behavior model of price-value perceptions is modified and examined in relation to a destination visit. The modification involves the addition of visitor origin and season of visit to take into account influential trip characteristics. The adapted model is investigated with a substantial database of visitor perceptions of Victoria, British Columbia. Statistical analyses reveal that origin and season both interact and separately influence the price-value perceptions of tourists. The evidence suggests that pricing strategies should consider the external influence of such trip variables on traveler value perceptions.
Arterial blood pressure measurement and pulse wave analysis—their role in enhancing cardiovascular assessment

The most common method of clinical measurement of arterial blood pressure is by means of the cuff sphygmomanometer. This instrument has provided fundamental quantitative information on arterial pressure in individual subjects and in populations and facilitated estimation of cardiovascular risk related to levels of blood pressure obtained from the brachial cuff. Although the measurement is taken in a peripheral limb, the values are generally assumed to reflect the pressure throughout the arterial tree in large conduit arteries. Since the arterial pressure pulse becomes modified as it travels away from the heart towards the periphery, this is generally true for mean and diastolic pressure, but not for systolic pressure, and so pulse pressure. The relationship between central and peripheral pulse pressure depends on propagation characteristics of arteries. Hence, while the sphygmomanometer gives values of two single points on the pressure wave (systolic and diastolic pressure), there is additional information that can be obtained from the time-varying pulse waveform that enables an improved quantification of the systolic load on the heart and other central organs. This topical review will assess techniques of pressure measurement that relate to the use of the cuff sphygmomanometer and to the non-invasive registration and analysis of the peripheral and central arterial pressure waveform. Improved assessment of cardiovascular function in relation to treatment and management of high blood pressure will result from future developments in the indirect measurement of arterial blood pressure that involve the conventional cuff sphygmomanometer with the addition of information derived from the peripheral arterial pulse.
Assessing motivation to quit smoking in people with mental illness: a review.

BACKGROUND People with mental health (MH) disorders smoke at higher rates, are more nicotine-dependent and suffer greater morbidity and mortality from smoking-related illnesses than the general population. Helping these people to quit smoking is a public health priority; however, many MH professionals assume that those with mental illness are not motivated to quit. OBJECTIVES To use predetermined criteria to identify, review critically and evaluate empirically all English language, peer-reviewed data on motivation to quit smoking in MH populations. METHODS A systematic search was conducted and key data on subject characteristics, measures of motivation and other variables abstracted. chi(2) analyses were used to compare motivation between MH and general populations, between in-patients and out-patients and between people with depression and people with psychotic disorders. RESULTS Evidence suggests that people with MH disorders are as motivated to quit smoking as the general population, although those with psychotic disorders may be less motivated than individuals with depression. Although readiness to cease smoking was assessed in 14 studies, only two evaluated motivation to quit smoking in in-patient populations. CONCLUSIONS People with MH disorders are motivated to quit smoking, although more research is needed looking at in-patient populations. The commonly held false belief that people with MH disorders are not motivated to cease smoking means that opportunities to encourage smoking cessation among this disenfranchised group are being missed.
A 1.35-V 16-Mb Twin-Bit-Cell Virtual-Ground-Architecture Embedded Flash Memory With a Sensing Current Protection Technique

In this paper, a 1.35 V 16 Mb twin-bit-cell virtual ground architecture embedded Flash memory is presented. To reduce the sensing margin loss caused by the side-leakage current in the virtual ground architecture memory array, a sensing current protection technique has been proposed. A reference voltage generating circuit for dynamic sensing window tracking is designed to maximize the sensing window under various PVT (Process-Voltage-Temperature) conditions. With the reference voltage generating circuit and a high performance sense amplifier, high speed read operation is achieved. As four bitlines have to be selected to read one bit, an S-D-P-P (Source-Drain-Protection-Protection) style column decoding methodology has been introduced to support the sensing current protection technique. The embedded Flash IP has been fabricated in a GSMC 90 nm 4 poly 4 metal CMOS process. The die size of the proposed Flash IP is 3.2 mm2 and the memory cell size is 0.16 μm2. Access time of 36 ns at 1.35 V has been achieved.
MOTIVATING STUDENTS IN THE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT CLASS: CHALLENGES FOR THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY

Motivating students to learn and apply operations management concepts is an important aspect of the learning process in an operations management class. While an emphasis on techniques and pedagogical technology has some motivational benefits, this paper proposes an emphasis on student/teacher interaction and a deeper understanding of complex situations. To support this approach, publishers should provide the materials to effectively use the new classroom technologies and the tools to support a wide variety of teaching styles. In addition, publishers should provide creative cross‐functional simulations so that students can understand the role of operations management in the context of the firm. Finally, rich decision‐making environments are needed to put the students in more realistic situations.
Silas Weir Mitchell on Epilepsy Therapy in the Late 19th to Early 20th Centuries

Abstract Silas Weir Mitchell (1829-1914), one of the fathers of American neurology, is well known for many contributions to neurology. However, his efforts in epilepsy are overshadowed by his other accomplishments. Mitchell introduced a new bromide preparation, lithium bromide, as a viable therapy. His most widely accepted contribution to the field was the introduction of inhaled amyl nitrite for early termination of seizures accompanied by an appropriate aura. Despite the prevalent views on lifestyle modification as a treatment for epilepsy during this time period, as well as Mitchell's own development of the “rest cure” for certain disease states, he was not a proponent of these types of interventions for epilepsy, nor did he support interventions focused on other organ systems, such as abdominal or gynecologic surgery. Mitchell had distinct opinions on the treatment of epilepsy, and helped to advance its therapeutics during his career. RÉSUMÉ Silas Weir Mitchell sur le traitement de l'épilepsie de la fin du XIX e siècle au début du XX e siècle. Silas Weir Mitchell (1829-1914), l’un des pères de la neurologie américaine, est bien connu pour ses nombreuses contributions à la neurologie. Toutefois, ses efforts dans le domaine de l’épilepsie restent dans l’ombre de ses autres réalisations. Mitchell a introduit une nouvelle préparation à base de bromure, le bromure de lithium, comme traitement viable. Sa contribution la plus largement acceptée dans ce domaine a été l’introduction du nitrite d’amyle inhalé pour l’arrêt précoce des crises convulsives accompagnées d’une aura appropriée. En dépit des idées prévalentes à cette époque-là sur le rôle de la modification du mode de vie dans le traitement d’épilepsie et de la propre élaboration par Mitchell de la « cure de repos » pour certaines affections, il n’a pas suggéré ces types d’interventions pour l’épilepsie et il n’a pas, non plus, soutenu des interventions se concentrant sur d’autres systèmes, telles que la chirurgie abdominale ou la chirurgie gynécologique. Mitchell a eu une opinion personnelle sur le traitement d’épilepsie et a contribué aux progrès de son traitement tout au long de sa carrière.
A local circuit neocortical synapse that operates via both NMDA and non‐NMDA receptors

1 In slices of rat neocortex, spike triggered averaging was employed to record in one neurone the excitatory postsynaptic potential (e.p.s.p.) generated by a spike in another, neighbouring neurone. When recorded at different membrane potentials, some of these e.p.s.ps exhibited a voltage relation typical of neuronal responses to N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA). 2 Selective NMDA antagonists reduced the amplitude of these e.p.s.ps, but had little effect on their early rising phase. In contrast, a less selective excitatory amino acid antagonist reduced all phases of the e.p.s.p. 3 By analyzing single axon e.p.s.ps we have been able to establish that the synaptic input to one cortical cell, delivered by a single presynaptic cortical cell, operates simultaneously via NMDA and non‐NMDA amino acid receptors.
Maintainable city models for sustainable development

3D city models are getting more important as a field of research and business and received an increasing amount of attention from both the scientific community and the professional field. 3D city models are one of the new tools for sustainable city development. Since development questions occur repeatedly, the used city models should be maintainable, i.e. the system should be kept up-to-date and not be created new for each decision. This is a challenge. Creating a model representing the current status of a city has been addressed in research literature. The major challenge is the vast amount of data to be collected, processed and visualised. However, keeping the resulting model up-to-date has not been discussed yet. Updating requires the introduction of a suitable concept of time in the model. This would then allow representing historic and current status of the city as well as future scenarios. Processes provide the connection between different points in time. Processes also change the appearance of the city and need to be represented in the model for change detection. In this paper, we discuss the challenges and show necessary properties for city models and systems maintaining them to reach a reasonable level of maintainability.
The U.S. Credit Crunch of 2007: A Minsky Moment

It is now clear that most economists underestimated the widening economic impact of the credit crunch that has shaken U.S. financial markets since at least mid-July. A credit crunch is an economic condition in which loans and investment capital are difficult to obtain. In such a period, banks and other lenders become wary of issuing loans, so the price of borrowing rises, often to the point where deals simply do not get done. Financial economist Hyman P. Minsky (1919–1996) was the foremost expert on such crunches, and his ideas remain relevant to understanding the current situation. This brief by Charles J. Whalen demonstrates that the U.S. credit crunch of 2007 can aptly be described as a “Minsky moment. ” It begins by taking a look at aspects of this crunch, then examines the notion of a Minsky moment, along with the main ideas informing Minsky’s perspective on economic instability. At the heart of that viewpoint is what Minsky called the “financial instability hypothesis,” which derives from an interpretation of John Maynard Keynes’s work and underscores the value of an evolutionary and institutionally grounded alternative to conventional economics. The brief then returns to the 2007 credit crunch and identifies some of the key elements relevant to fleshing out a Minsky-oriented account of that event.
Perceived Discrimination and Nocturnal Blood Pressure Dipping Among Hispanics: The Influence of Social Support and Race

Objective Little is known about the relationship of perceived racism to ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) in Hispanics. We explored possible associations between ABP nocturnal dipping and perceived racism in a Hispanic cohort. Methods Participants included 180 community-dwelling Hispanics from the Northern Manhattan Study. Measures included perceived racism, socioeconomic status, social support, and ABP monitoring. Nocturnal ABP nondipping was defined as a less than 10% decline in the average asleep systolic blood pressure relative to the awake systolic blood pressure. Results Overall, 77.8% of participants reported some form of perceived racism (Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire scores >1.0). Greater social support was associated with less perceived discrimination (Spearman r = −0.54, p < .001). Those with higher perceived discrimination scores reported more depressive symptoms (r = 0.25, p < .001). Those with higher Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire scores were less likely to show nocturnal ABP nondipping in multivariate models (odds ratio = 0.40, confidence interval = 0.17–0.98, p = .045). Among those with low perceived racism, black Hispanic participants were more likely to have nocturnal ABP nondipping (82.6%) compared with white Hispanics (53.9%; p = .02). Among those with high perceived racism, no associations between race and the prevalence of ABP nondipping was found (black Hispanic = 61.5% versus white Hispanic = 51.4%, p = .39; p interaction = .89). Conclusions Perceived racism is relatively common among US Hispanics and is associated with ABP. Nondipping of ABP, a potential cardiovascular risk factor, was more common in black Hispanic participants with low perceived racism. This finding may reflect different coping mechanisms between black versus white Hispanics and related blood pressure levels during daytime exposures to discrimination.
Oxidative status in rat kidney exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons

Objective: The study investigates the possible role of oxidative stress on renal tissues in association with petroleum hydrocarbon-induced nephrotoxicity. Materials and Methods: Rats of comparable weights were randomly distributed into 10 groups: Control and groups exposed to kerosene, petrol, and diesel via inhalation, contamination by food, and contamination by water. The exposure lasted for eight weeks. Results: Exposure to petroleum hydrocarbon led to significant rise in serum urea and creatinine, and renal tissue malondialdehyde. It also caused significant reduction in urinary urea and creatinine, and reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities of renal tissue homogenate. However, serum and urine concentrations of albumin and total protein were comparable in all groups. Conclusion: Results from this study shows that exposure to petroleum hydrocarbon led to renal dysfunction via oxidative stress, increasing lipid peroxidation and reducing the antioxidant defense mechanism.
Refining stability and dissolution rate of amorphous drug formulations

Introduction: Poor aqueous solubility of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is one of the main challenges in the development of new small molecular drugs. Additionally, the proportion of poorly soluble drugs among new chemical entities is increasing. The transfer of a crystalline drug to its amorphous counterpart is often seen as a potential solution to increase the solubility. However, amorphous systems are physically unstable. Therefore, pharmaceutical formulations scientists need to find ways to stabilise amorphous forms. Areas covered: The use of polymer-based solid dispersions is the most established technique for the stabilisation of amorphous forms, and this review will initially focus on new developments in this field. Additionally, newly discovered formulation approaches will be investigated, including approaches based on the physical restriction of crystallisation and crystal growth and on the interaction of APIs with small molecular compounds rather than polymers. Finally, in situ formation of an amorphous form might be an option to avoid storage problems altogether. Expert opinion: The diversity of poorly soluble APIs formulated in an amorphous drug delivery system will require different approaches for their stabilisation. Thus, increased focus on emerging techniques can be expected and a rational approach to decide the correct formulation is needed.
Determinants of total factor productivity : a literature review

Based on micro, sectoral and macro studies, this review identifies several determinants that have an impact on TFP growth. Of these, education, health, infrastructure, imports, institutions, openness, competition, financial development, geographical predicaments and absorptive capacity (including capital intensity) appear to be the most important. Whereas most past papers reviewed only establish statistical associations and provide no causal direction, any policy discussion can only be indicative rather than directive. Nonetheless, these determinants suggest areas for policymaking. Examples include investment in human capital to enhance the absorptive capacity, which in turn, facilitates technology transfer, or trade reforms to increase access to foreign capital and intermediate goods.
Are Leases and Debt Substitutes? Evidence from Belgian Firms

Finance theory suggests that leases and corporate debt are substitutes. However, empirical evidence is mixed. The contribution of the present paper is to test the substitution hypothesis for a sample of 1,066 large Belgian non-financial firms for the 1992-1994 period, considering different debt categories, including intra-group loans. Belgium provides an interesting case to investigate the leasing decision because tax differences between lessor and lessee do not matter. We find that long-term bank debt and intra-group debt are substitutes for lease financing. However, we do not find a one-to-one relationship, which indicates that leases and long-term debt are not perfect substitutes.
9.8 An 860μW 2.1-to-2.7GHz all-digital PLL-based frequency modulator with a DTC-assisted snapshot TDC for WPAN (Bluetooth Smart and ZigBee) applications

Ultra-low-power (ULP) transceivers enable short-range networks of autonomous sensor nodes for wireless personal-area-network (WPAN) applications. RF PLLs for frequency synthesis and modulation consume a significant share of the total transceiver power, making sub-mW PLLs key to realize ULP WPAN radios. Compared to analog PLLs [1], all-digital PLLs (ADPLLs) are preferred in nanoscale CMOS as they offer benefits of smaller area, programmability, capability of extensive self-calibrations, and easy portability [2]. However, analog PLLs dominate the field of ULP WPAN radios [1], since the time-to-digital-converter (TDC) of an ADPLL has traditionally been power hungry. We present a 2.1-to-2.7GHz 860μW fractional-N ADPLL in 40nm CMOS for WPAN applications, which breaks the 1mW barrier and consumes at least 5× lower power compared to state-of-the-art ADPLLs.
Using Material Flow Analysis for Sustainable Materials Management

MFA can offer many insights and should be an important part of priority setting for sustainable materials management. However, since it only illuminates some of the issues that concern policy makers with regard to materials management, it must be used in conjunction with other types of data. Many possible applications exist for material flow analysis (MFA). One of them is to help with sustainable materials management (SMM), a familiar concept to the readers of this journal— “an approach to serving human needs by using/ reusing resources most productively and sustainably throughout their life cycles, generally minimizing the amount of materials involved and all the associated environmental impacts” (EPA 2009). Governments and industries around the world are stepping up their efforts to manage materials sustainably. But where should governments start? How should they set priorities on what materials to address? A few hundred basic materials are transformed into many thousands of products, making priority setting critical and challenging. A recent analysis indicates that MFA can and should be part of the equation for priority setting, but only part.
A Single-Phase Grid-Connected Fuel Cell System Based on a Boost-Inverter

In this paper, the boost-inverter topology is used as a building block for a single-phase grid-connected fuel cell (FC) system offering low cost and compactness. In addition, the proposed system incorporates battery-based energy storage and a dc-dc bidirectional converter to support the slow dynamics of the FC. The single-phase boost inverter is voltage-mode controlled and the dc-dc bidirectional converter is current-mode controlled. The low-frequency current ripple is supplied by the battery which minimizes the effects of such ripple being drawn directly from the FC itself. Moreover, this system can operate either in a grid-connected or stand-alone mode. In the grid-connected mode, the boost inverter is able to control the active (P) and reactive (Q) powers using an algorithm based on a second-order generalized integrator which provides a fast signal conditioning for single-phase systems. Design guidelines, simulation, and experimental results taken from a laboratory prototype are presented to confirm the performance of the proposed system.
Synthesis of lipopolysaccharide O side chains by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 requires the enzyme phosphomannomutase

We have cloned a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthetic gene from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 that complements the defect in the production and incorporation of LPS O side chains in the LPS-rough strain AK1012. This gene was characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, deletion and restriction mapping of the cloned DNA, and biochemical analysis of the protein product. The cloned DNA was found to map to the 7-to-11-min region of the P. aeruginosa chromosome, and the gene needed for complementation of the LPS-rough phenotype was contained on a 2.6-kb HindIII-SacI fragment. This same size restriction fragment contains the alginate gene algC, which encodes the enzyme phosphomannomutase (PMM) and also maps to this region of the P. aeruginosa chromosome. The LPS-rough strain AK1012 was deficient in PMM activity, and this activity was restored to parental levels when the cloned gene was transferred to strain AK1012. In addition, the cloned gene could complement the PMM deficiency in the algC mutant strain 8858, and the cloned algC gene could restore the LPS-smooth phenotype to strain AK1012. These results indicate that the gene we have cloned is equivalent to the alginate gene algC. We designate this gene pmm to emphasize that it encodes the enzyme PMM, which has been shown to be essential for alginate production, and we demonstrate that PMM activity is required for the LPS-smooth phenotype in P. aeruginosa PAO1.