Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Perceived Message Effectiveness Cause Persuasion or Vice Versa? 17 Consistent Answers

Can perceived message effectiveness (PE) be considered a cause of actual effectiveness (AE)? If so, PE judgments can be used as valid indicators of the persuasiveness of messages in the preimplementation phase of campaigns. In addition, manipulating PE may be a viable persuasive strategy. But, if the reverse causal sequence obtains (AE→PE), then the strategy would be ineffective and the utility of PE in formative campaign research meaningless. Structural equation analysis of 2 cross-sectional data sets (N= 202 and 204) concerned with fear appeals favored the PE→AE hypothesis. Two additional studies (N= 140 and 237), which employed a total of 13 public service announcements (PSAs), returned the same result. A fifth experimental study (N= 119) which utilized 2 PSAs provided further indication that PE→AE but not the reverse. At least under the conditions that characterize formative research, PE may be viewed as a causal antecedent of AE.
Effect of avatars and viewpoints on performance in virtual world: efficiency vs. telepresence

An increasing number of our interactions are mediated through e-technologies. In order to enhance the human’s feeling of presence into these virtual environments, also known as telepresence, the individual is usually embodied into an avatar. The natural adaptation capabilities, underlain by the plasticity of the body schema, of the human being make a body ownership of the avatar possible, in which the user feels more like his/her virtual alter ego than himself/herself. However, this phenomenon only occurs under specific conditions. Two experiments are designed to study the human’s feeling and performance according to a scale of natural relationship between the participant and the avatar. In both experiments, the human-avatar interaction is carried out by a Natural User Interface (NUI) and the individual’s performance is assessed through a behavioural index, based on the concept of affordances, and a questionnaire of presence The first experiment shows that the feeling of telepresence and ownership seem to be greater when the avatar’s kinematics and proportions are close to those of the user. However, the efficiency to complete the task is higher for a more mechanical and stereotypical avatar. The second experiment shows that the manipulation of the viewpoint induces a similar difference across the sessions. Results are discussed in terms of the neurobehavioral processes underlying performance in virtual worlds, which seem to be based on ownership when the virtual artefact ensures a preservation of sensorimotor contingencies, and simple geometrical mapping when the conditions become more artificial.
An exploratory study: students' perceptions of academic faculty and industry practitioner instructions.

The purpose of this study was to identify students’ perceptions of two hospitality courses Hospitality Cost Control and Hospitality Law taught by academic faculty members and industry practitioners (i.e. a lawyer and a certified public accountant). Three specific research questions were: (1) to examine whether students’ perceptions differ on importance and difficulty about class projects and activities required by each course, (2) to understand students’ overall perceptions of and attitudes toward courses, and, (3) to identify strengths and potential improvements for each course. Findings of the study showed that student perceptions of importance and difficulty of each course’s components differed significantly. Strengths and improvements for each course were discussed.
High performance implementation of Neural Networks by networks on chip with 5-port 2-virtual channels

Hardware implementation of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is proposed by using Networks on Chip (NoC) with 5-port 2-virtual channels router, aiming at higher performance and low latency. Experimental results by NIRGAM NoC simulator show that this proposed system has higher Connection-Per-Second (CPS), higher Connection-Per-Second-Per-Weight (CP-SPW), lower communication load. Furthermore this NoC implementation system is reconfigurable and expandable, so that it can be applied to various applications.
Time is Money : Why Very Rapid Adaptation Matters

Very rapid adaptation ( i.e., adaptation over the range from 0 to 30 sec. of speech data) of ASR systems has great commercial importance and scientific interest. This paper describes some applications of very rapid adaptation, discusses techniques for achieving it, and argues that work in this field has implications for the overall structure of ASR systems. Finally, directions for future work are proposed.
Factors that Affect Nontraditional Vocational Enrollment Among Women

This study identified the internal (personality) and external (social support) factors that differentiate women who enter male-dominated (Nontraditional) vocational training programs from those who only consider entering such programs (Considereds) and from those who enter female-dominated (Traditional) programs. Four hundred seventy women who were enrolled in California vocational training programs and were stratified on both social class and type of vocational training site completed a self-administered questionnaire covering (1) demographic/family background, (2) social support/encouragement from others, (3) peer experience with nontraditional programs, and (4) personality and sex-role orientation. Results revealed that the student subgroups differed most significantly in the amount of support, encouragement, and discouragement they received from the important others in their lives. Nontraditional students differed from Traditional students primarily in the support of female friends and family members, and from Considereds in encouragement from school personnel. Recommendations are made for steps that can be taken to foster equality of educational opportunity.
New Approaches on Quantification of Campylobacter jejuni in Poultry Samples: The Use of Digital PCR and Real-time PCR against the ISO Standard Plate Count Method

Campylobacteriosis is the most frequently reported bacterial food-borne illness in the European Union and contaminated broiler meat is considered the most important source of infection in humans. The aim of the present study was to evaluate real-time PCR (qPCR) and digital PCR (dPCR) for quantification of Campylobacter jejuni in 75 broiler neck-skin samples collected from a poultry slaughterhouse, and to compare them with the ISO 10272-2 standard plate count method. For qPCR standard curve, C. jejuni-negative neck-skin samples were spiked with C. jejuni suspension with a known number of bacterial cells. The observed CFU/g values by qPCR correlated greatly with the expected values and qPCR showed good performance with the reliable limit of detection (rLOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of three and 31 target copies per reaction, respectively. However, both rLOD (1219 CFU/g) and LOQ (12,523 CFU/g) were beyond the EFSA-proposed critical limit of 500–1,000 CFU/g of neck skin. Although C. jejuni cell counts were ≤1,000 CFU/g in only 7/75 samples by plate counting, they were ≤LOQ in 60/75 and ≤rLOD in 26/75 (≤1,000 CFU/g in 24/75) samples by qPCR. A strong and statistically significant correlation was observed between qPCR and dPCR. Both PCR-based methods correlated significantly with the plate count method; however, the correlation was moderate. Using the Bland–Altman analysis, an average agreement was noted between all three methods, although with a large standard deviation. A significant bias toward overestimation in dPCR was observed, probably due to the relatively high number of false positive calls. The linear dynamic range was comparable in both PCR-based methods; however, qPCR proved to be more suitable for routine use. In the future, the establishment of a reliable molecular quantification of C. jejuni in poultry samples showing a wide range of contamination levels down to the proposed critical limit is needed to enable time- and cost-effective surveillance throughout all stages in the food production chain. As both rLOD and LOQ were beyond this limit, a modification of the procedure is suggested to include less sample dilution prior to DNA extraction to enable PCR-based quantification of C. jejuni at the proposed microbiological criteria.
Severe Rhabdomyolysis due to Presumed Drug Interactions between Atorvastatin with Amlodipine and Ticagrelor

Atorvastatin and ticagrelor combination is a widely accepted therapy for secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease. However, rhabdomyolysis is a well-known rare side effect of statins which should be considered when treatments are combined with cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme inhibitors. We report a case of atorvastatin and ticagrelor associated severe rhabdomyolysis that progressed to multiorgan failure requiring renal replacement therapy, inotropes, intubation, and mechanical ventilation. Despite withdrawal of the precipitating cause and the supportive measures including renal replacement therapy, creatinine kinase increased due to ongoing rhabdomyolysis rapidly progressing to upper and lower limbs weakness. A muscle biopsy was performed to exclude myositis which confirmed extensive myonecrosis, consistent with statin associated rhabdomyolysis. After a prolonged ventilatory course in the intensive care unit, patient's condition improved with recovery from renal and liver dysfunction. The patient slowly regained her upper and lower limb function; she was successfully weaned off the ventilator and was discharged for rehabilitation. To our knowledge, this is a second case of statin associated rhabdomyolysis due to interaction between atorvastatin and ticagrelor. However, our case differed in that the patient was also on amlodipine, which is considered to be a weak cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitor and may have further potentiated myotoxicity.
P300 and S-R compatibility: a reply to Magliero et al.

Some recent papers have been devoted to simultaneous analysis of RT and P300 latency effects with S-R compatibility. This, indeed, can be particularly fruitful since it may provide some insight into response choice, a crucial stage of information processing taking place between stimulus analysis and response production. Apparent contradictions have arisen between these studies because of the different kinds of S-R compatibilities involved. The aim of this reply is to emphasize the discrepancies between experimental designs that use semantic versus spatial compatibilities.
Constellation Randomization Achieves Transmit Diversity for Single-RF Spatial Modulation

The performance of spatial modulation (SM) is known to be dominated by the minimum Euclidean distance (MED) in the received SM constellation. In this paper, a symbol-scaling technique is proposed for SM in the multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) channel that enhances the MED to improve the performance of SM. This is achieved by forming fixed sets of candidate prescaling factors for the transmit antennas (TAs), which are randomly generated and are known at both the transmitter and the receiver. For a given channel realization, the transmitter chooses the specific set of factors that maximizes the MED. Given the channel state information (CSI) readily available at the receiver for detection, the receiver independently chooses the same set of prescaling factors and uses them for the detection of both the antenna index (AI) and the symbol of interest. We analytically calculate the attainable gains of the proposed technique, in terms of its transmit diversity order, based on both the distribution of the MED and on the theory of classical order statistics. Furthermore, we show that the proposed scheme offers a scalable performance-complexity tradeoff for SM by varying the number of candidate sets of prescaling factors, with significant performance improvements, compared to conventional SM.
Reflections on Distributive Politics and Universalism

minimal winning size. ' Another is that distributive programs organized by strong parties are likely to exhibit greater efficiency (Weingast, Shepsle, and Johnsen 1981; see also Cox and McCubbins 1993). In retrospect, this literature exhibits a number of limitations. First, although it is strongly rooted in case-study style empirical observation of distributive programs, there have been few systematic tests of its hypotheses, such as universalism. Second, theoretical approaches have, by and large, ignored the complexities of distributive politics. Is universalism the sole principle necessary to understand this type of politics? If not, what other principles are relevant? Recent work attempts to rectify both weaknesses. The strength of Stein and Bickers' (1994a) article, "Universalism and the Electoral Connection: A Test and
ASSESSING IMMIGRANT ASSIMILATION: New Empirical and Theoretical Challenges

This review examines research on the assimilation of immigrant groups. We review research on four primary benchmarks of assimilation: socioeconomic status, spatial concentration, language assimilation, and intermarriage. The existing literature shows that today's immigrants are largely assimilating into American society along each of these dimensions. This review also considers directions for future research on the assimilation of immigrant groups in new southern and midwestern gateways and how sociologists measure immigrant assimilation. We document the changing geography of immigrant settlement and review the emerging body of research in this area. We argue that examining immigrant assimilation in these new immigrant gateways is crucial for the development of theories about immigrant assimilation. We also argue that we are likely to see a protracted period of immigrant replenishment that may change the nature of assimilation. Studying this change requires sociologists to use both birth cohort and genera.
Flash in a DBMS: Where and How?

Over the past decade, new solid state storage technologies, with flash being the most mature one, have become increasingly popular. Such technologies store data durably, and can alleviate many handicaps of hard disk drives (HDDs). Nonetheless, they have very different characteristics compared to HDDs, making it challenging to integrate such technologies into data intensive systems, such as database management systems (DBMS), that rely heavily on underlying storage behaviors. In this paper, we ask the question: Where and how will flash be exploited in a DBMS? We describe techniques for making effective use of flash in three contexts: (i) as a log device for transaction processing on memory-resident data, (ii) as the main data store for transaction processing, and (iii) as an update cache for HDD-resident data warehouses.
The role of Pex3p in early events of peroxisome biogenesis in Hansenula polymorpha

We analyzed the re-assembly of peroxisomes in Hansenula polymorpha pex3 cells upon reintroduction of Pex3p. Within one hour after the onset of Pex3p production, a single organelle developed per cell, invariably in close proximity of the nuclear envelope. Subsequently, this organelle increased in size, migrated to a position in the vicinity of the cell wall, and multiplied by division. Fractionation experiments on homogenates of pex3 cells, in which the endomembrane system was tagged with GFP, identified a small amount of GFP in peroxisomes present in the initial stage of peroxisome re-assembly. Taken together, our data suggest a distinct role for the endomembrane system in peroxisome re-assembly in complemented pex3 cells.
Cancer generated lactic acid: Novel therapeutic approach

1 Aerobic glycolysis or Warburg effect[1] and increased degradation of glutamine collectively known as reprogrammed energy metabolism are considered as a key metabolic hallmark of cancer. [2] Normal cell metabolize glucose to pyruvate via glycolysis and to carbon dioxide for oxidative phosphorylation under aerobic conditions. In anaerobic conditions, relatively more pyruvate is converted to lactate with less being shifted to mitochondria. On the other hand, cancerous cells even in the presence of oxygen convert glucose to lactate by an altered energy metabolic pathway less efficient than oxidative phosphorylation. [2] This along with increased degradation of glutamine leads to metabolic acidosis with pH of the solid cancers as low as 6.0–6.5. [3‐5]
GyrB Polymorphisms Accurately Assign Invasive Viridans Group Streptococcal Species

ABSTRACT Viridans group streptococci (VGS) are a heterogeneous group of medically important bacteria that cannot be accurately assigned to a particular species using conventional phenotypic methods. Although multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) is considered the gold standard for VGS species-level identification, MLSA is not yet feasible in the clinical setting. Conversely, molecular methods, such as sodA and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, are clinically practical but not sufficiently accurate for VGS species-level identification. Here, we present data regarding the use of an ∼400-nucleotide internal fragment of the gene encoding DNA gyrase subunit B (GyrB) for VGS species-level identification. MLSA, internal gyrB, sodA, full-length, and 5′ 16S gene sequences were used to characterize 102 unique VGS blood isolates collected from 2011 to 2012. When using the MLSA species assignment as a reference, full-length and 5′ partial 16S gene and sodA sequence analyses failed to correctly assign all strains to a species. Precise species determination was particularly problematic for Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus oralis isolates. However, the internal gyrB fragment allowed for accurate species designations for all 102 strains. We validated these findings using 54 VGS strains for which MLSA, 16S gene, sodA, and gyrB data are available at the NCBI, showing that gyrB is superior to 16S gene and sodA sequence analyses for VGS species identification. We also observed that specific polymorphisms in the 133-amino acid sequence of the internal GyrB fragment can be used to identify invasive VGS species. Thus, the GyrB amino acid sequence may offer a more practical and accurate method for classifying invasive VGS strains to the species level.
Storied lives : the cultural politics of self-understanding

In this provocative book, psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists analyze interviews with a range of subjects (a minister, Holocaust survivors, a rape victim, and others) to present a new way of thinking about autobiographical narratives. They argue that these narratives play a significant role in the formation of identity, that the way they are told is shaped by prevalent cultural norms, and that the stories may be liberated from the psychic and social obstacles constraining them if the narrators gain critical insight into their own accounts.
Customer participation and new product development outcomes: The moderating role of product innovativeness

Abstract Investigation of customer participation in new product development (NPD) performance has yielded conflicting results. This study explores the idea that intensive customer participation is not always better. Instead, the usefulness of customer participation in NPD is determined by the fit between product innovativeness and customer participation as information providers and as co-developers. An empirical study of 196 NPD projects of Taiwanese high-tech firms is analyzed by structural equation modeling. The findings show that product innovativeness negatively moderates the impact of customer participation as information providers on NPD outcome. Thus, the greater the involvement of customer participation as information providers in radical innovation projects, the lower the NPD outcome. Moreover, our results also indicate that product innovativeness positively affects the relationship between customer participation as a co-developer and NPD outcome, which suggest that the more customer participation as a co-developer in a radical innovation project, the better the NPD outcome.
Functional Activation in the Ventral Object Processing Pathway during the First Year

Infants' capacity to represent objects in visual working memory changes substantially during the first year of life. There is a growing body of research focused on identifying neural mechanisms that support this emerging capacity, and the extent to which visual object processing elicits different patterns of cortical activation in the infant as compared to the adult. Recent studies have identified areas in temporal and occipital cortex that mediate infants' developing capacity to track objects on the basis of their featural properties. The current research (Experiments 1 and 2) assessed patterns of activation in posterior temporal cortex and occipital cortex using fNIRS in infants 3–13 months of age as they viewed occlusion events. In the occlusion events, either the same object or featurally distinct objects emerged to each side of a screen. The outcome of these studies, combined, revealed that in infants 3–6 months, posterior temporal cortex was activated to all events, regardless of the featural properties of the objects and whether the event involved one object or two (featurally distinct) objects. Infants 7–8 infants months showed a waning posterior temporal response and by 10–13 months this response was negligible. Additional analysis showed that the age groups did not differ in their visual attention to the events and that changes in HbO were better explained by age in days than head circumference. In contrast to posterior temporal cortex, robust activation was obtained in occipital cortex across all ages tested. One interpretation of these results is that they reflect pruning of the visual object-processing network during the first year. The functional contribution of occipital and posterior temporal cortex, along with higher-level temporal areas, to infants' capacity to keep track of distinct entities in visual working memory is discussed.
Organizational Development

The term ‘organizational development’ is defined in management textbooks as a ‘collection of planned change interventions built on democratic–humanistic values that seek to improve organizational effectiveness and well–being’. But we use the term in a simpler and broader sense as the evolution and development of an organization towards its highest potential. In this article we present the broad outlines of a strategic vision of organizational development based on the aims and principles of yoga. The word ‘yoga’ has now become well known all over the world. But the popular conceptions of yoga conjure up images of a hatha–yogi standing upside down or a hermit in the Himalayas. The deeper psychological and pragmatic significance of yoga is not fully understood. ‘Yoga,’ says Sri Aurobindo, ‘is nothing but practical psychology’ (Sri Aurobindo 1972b: 39). It contributes to the psychological and spiritual development of the human organism. Yoga is the scientific, psychological process or discipline by which the inner development of the human being is triggered and can be accelerated.
Characterization to species level of Mycobacterium avium complex strains from human immunodeficiency virus-positive and -negative patients

Forty human clinical Mycobacterium avium-M. intracellulare complex strains isolated in Greece were characterized to the species level by PCR with three sets of primers specific for one or both species. M. avium predominated in both human immunodeficiency virus-positive and -negative patients, but the frequency of M. intracellulare isolation appeared to be higher in the latter.