Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emotion and Environment: Visitors' Extraordinary Experiences along the Dalton Highway in Alaska

To assess how the natural environment and social interaction foster emotional outcomes, this study surveyed recreational visitors to the Dalton Highway in northern Alaska (258 guided visitors, 187 independent travelers) about a special experience they had, the factors that influenced it, and the emotions it engendered. Scenery—especially mountains—was the most commonly mentioned feature, with vastness, contrasts, and colors emerging as important dimensions. Seeing wildlife was important in half of the special experiences, especially when it involved being near animals, watching natural behavior, or seeing young animals. Surprising, novel, or unexpected circumstances were explicitly described by nearly one fifth of respondents. The emotions of awe, excitement, and pleasure were strongly associated with special experiences. Experiences in which wildlife and scenery were experienced either as part of a social group or during a recreational activity generated significantly higher levels of positive affect. These findings emphasize the importance of positive emotions as a benefit of recreational activities and provide insight into the nature of extraordinary experiences.
A Social Search Scheme Considering User Preferences and Popularities in Mobile Environments

As various pieces of information can be provided through the web, schemes that provide search results optimized for individual users are required in consideration of user preference. Since the existing social search schemes use users’ profiles, the accuracy of the search deteriorates. They also decrease the reliability of a search result because they do not consider a search time. Therefore, a new social search scheme that considers temporal information as well as popularities and user preferences is required. In this paper, we propose a new mobile social search scheme considering popularities and user preferences based on temporal information. Popularity is calculated by collecting the visiting records of users, while user preference is generated by the actual visiting information among the search results. In order to extract meaningful information from the search target objects that have multiple attributes, a skyline processing method is used, and rank is given to the search results by combining the user preference and the popularity with the skyline processing result. To show the superiority of the proposed scheme, we conduct performance evaluations of the existing scheme and the proposed scheme.
Cognitive changes 5 years after coronary artery bypass grafting: is there evidence of late decline?

OBJECTIVE To determine the long-term (preoperative to 5 years postoperative) and late (1-5 years postoperative) changes in cognitive test performance in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting. SETTING The departments of surgery and neurology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. PATIENTS A group of 102 patients who completed preoperative and follow-up cognitive testing up to 5 years after coronary artery bypass grafting. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES A battery of neuropsychological tests, assessing 8 cognitive domains (attention, language, verbal and visual memory, visuoconstruction, executive function, and psychomotor and motor speed), was administered preoperatively and at 1 month, 1 year, and 5 years postoperatively. RESULTS Significant changes in neuropsychological test scores from baseline to 5 years were observed in only 3 of the 8 domains: there were declines in visuoconstruction and psychomotor speed and an improvement in executive function. When the period from baseline to 5 years was divided into 2 intervals, we found that cognitive test scores generally improved from baseline to 1 year. By contrast, between 1 and 5 years, there was significant decline in all cognitive domains except for attention and executive function. Some potential explanatory covariates (demographic, medical history, and surgery variables) were associated with changes from baseline to 5 years in some cognitive domains, but few covariates were statistically significant in more than 1 cognitive domain. CONCLUSIONS The change in cognitive test performance between baseline and 5 years is likely related to several factors, including low baseline performance and practice effects. The significant decline in performance between 1 and 5 years, however, raises the possibility that a late cognitive decline may be occurring in this population. Additional studies, with the use of a nonsurgical control group, are needed to determine if the observed cognitive decline is related to bypass surgery itself, normal aging in a population with cardiovascular risk factors, or some combination of these and other factors.
A Study of Statistical Pattern Verification

A decision theoretic approach to the problem of verifying that a given observation "belongs" to a claimed pattern is examined. The problem presupposes a nonzero probability of impersonations, and verifier actions are ternary in general: a claimed identity is either 1) accepted or 2) rejected, or it is 3) "blanked" when the verifier refuses to take either of the actions 1) and 2). Corresponding costs-of-wrong decision will be typically different in applications like speaker verification. We characterize sample observations by normal distributions and provide explicit results for the analytically simple situation of "efficient" measurements whose interpattern variances are much greater than their intrapattern variances. In our specific model this will imply that the pdf of a measurement under the "impersonator" hypothesis is "diffuse" in relation to the pdf of the same measurement under any of several "true-pattern" hypotheses. We demonstrate that the likelihood ratio function, in a typical verification task, possesses a finite upper bound and that this is related to a certain threshold effect for verifier decisions. We further mention the suitability of a minimax strategy for verification and compare its performance with those of optimal (minimum-cost) and maximum-likelihood procedures for the binary decision (accept-or-reject) problem. We provide numerical examples that illustrate the minimax performance as a function of 1) a parameter which reflects the peculiarity of the claimed pattern, and of 2) the measurement dimensionality.
The effectiveness and tolerability of citalopram in a Turkish sample of children with obsessive compulsive disorder

THE EFFECTIVENESS AND TOLERABILITY OF CITALOPRAM IN A TURKISH SAMPLE OF CHILDREN WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe efficacy, tolerability and side effects of citalopram in the treatment of child and adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods: This open-label trial of citalopram (10-20 mg daily) included 23 cases. Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Questionnaire (MOCQ), Child Depression Inventory (CDI), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-C) were given to all children during the detailed psychiatric interviews. The treatment response was evaluated using Clinical Global Improvement Scales (CGI). All cases were assessed by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder–Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Results: After the 8 weeks of citalopram treatment, statistically significant improvements were found in all scores. 20 subjects (86.95%) had comorbid diagnosis or conditions. Depression was the most common comorbid diagnosis (6 cases, 26.08%). 13 subjects (56.52%) had side effects, and all side effects were highly similar to those reported from the use of other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, sedation during the day-time was obvious in 5 of the cases (21.73%) during the first week. None the subjects worsened during citalopram treatment and none was excluded because of serious side effects during 8 weeks. Conclusions: These results suggested that citalopram has seemed to be quite effective and tolerable of child and adolescent with OCD, and comorbid anxiety disorders.
The effect of small molecules in modulating the chaperone activity of αB‐crystallin against ordered and disordered protein aggregation

Protein aggregation can proceed via disordered or ordered mechanisms, with the latter being associated with amyloid fibril formation, which has been linked to a number of debilitating conditions including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Creutzfeldt‐Jakob diseases. Small heat‐shock proteins (sHsps), such as αB‐crystallin, act as chaperones to prevent protein aggregation and are thought to play a key role in the prevention of protein‐misfolding diseases. In this study, we have explored the potential for small molecules such as arginine and guanidine to affect the chaperone activity of αB‐crystallin against disordered (amorphous) and ordered (amyloid fibril) forms of protein aggregation. The effect of these additives is highly dependent upon the target protein undergoing aggregation. Importantly, our results show that the chaperone action of αB‐crystallin against aggregation of the disease‐related amyloid fibril forming protein α‐synucleinA53T is enhanced in the presence of arginine and similar positively charged compounds (such as lysine and guanidine). Thus, our results suggest that target protein identity plays a critical role in governing the effect of small molecules on the chaperone action of sHsps. Significantly, small molecules that regulate the activity of sHsps may provide a mechanism to protect cells from the toxic protein aggregation that is associated with some protein‐misfolding diseases.
A Study of Business Administration College Students' Decision- Making Skills at Kuwait University

This study aims to investigate the Decision- Making Skills and its relation with gender and academic level among Business Administration College students at Kuwait University. To fulfill this, A stratified sample of (200) Students was chosen from Business Administration College students. Results can be summarized as follows: The participants had medium level in most Decision- Making Skills. They showed a high level in suggesting alternatives skills and identifing the problem skill. They had low level of the consultation skill. There were no statistically significant differences in Decision- Making Skills among males and females. There were statistically significant differences in Decision- Making Skills related to the variable of academic level (first year, fourth year) in favor for the fourth year level.
Fluctuating shells under pressure

Thermal fluctuations strongly modify the large length-scale elastic behavior of cross-linked membranes, giving rise to scale-dependent elastic moduli. Whereas thermal effects in flat membranes are well understood, many natural and artificial microstructures are modeled as thin elastic shells. Shells are distinguished from flat membranes by their nonzero curvature, which provides a size-dependent coupling between the in-plane stretching modes and the out-of-plane undulations. In addition, a shell can support a pressure difference between its interior and its exterior. Little is known about the effect of thermal fluctuations on the elastic properties of shells. Here, we study the statistical mechanics of shape fluctuations in a pressurized spherical shell, using perturbation theory and Monte Carlo computer simulations, explicitly including the effects of curvature and an inward pressure. We predict novel properties of fluctuating thin shells under point indentations and pressure-induced deformations. The contribution due to thermal fluctuations increases with increasing ratio of shell radius to thickness and dominates the response when the product of this ratio and the thermal energy becomes large compared with the bending rigidity of the shell. Thermal effects are enhanced when a large uniform inward pressure acts on the shell and diverge as this pressure approaches the classical buckling transition of the shell. Our results are relevant for the elasticity and osmotic collapse of microcapsules.
Vision-Based Qualitative Path-Following Control of Quadrotor Aerial Vehicle with Speeded-Up Robust Features

This paper describes a vision-based 3D navigation technique for path-following control of Quad rotor Aerial Visual-Teach-and-Repeat system. The navigation method is developed on Funnel Lane theory, which defines possible positions to fly straight. The navigation calculation utilizes the reference images and features to compute the desired heading angle and height during path following. The type of feature is Speeded-Up Robust Features (SURF). The tracking feature method between images is performed by matching SURF feature's descriptors. The Quad rotor is able to independently perform path following in indoor environment without the support of an external tracking system. Simulation is conducted on Robot Operating System (ROS) and Gazebo simulator. The application of the proposed method is visual-homing and visual-servoing in GPS-denied environment.
On the importance of radiative heat exchange during nocturnal flight in birds

SUMMARY Many migratory flights take place during cloudless nights, thus under conditions where the sky temperature can commonly be 20°C below local air temperature. The sky then acts as a radiative sink, leading objects exposed to it to have a lower surface temperature than unexposed ones because less infrared energy is received from the sky than from the surfaces that are isothermic to air. To investigate the significance of this effect for heat dissipation during nocturnal flight in birds, we built a wind tunnel with the facility to control wall temperature (TASK) and air temperature (TAIR) independently at air speeds (UWIN) comparable to flying speeds. We used it to measure the influence of TASK, TAIR and UWIN on plumage and skin temperatures in pigeons having to dissipate a thermal load while constrained at rest in a flight posture. Our results show that the temperature of the flight and insulation plumages exposed to a radiative sink can be accurately described by multiple regression models (r2>0.96) based only on TAIR, TASK and UWIN. Predictions based on these models indicate that while convection dominates heat loss for a plumage exposed to air moving at flight speed in a thermally uniform environment, radiation may dominate in the presence of a radiative sink comparable to a clear sky. Our data also indicate that reducing TASK to a temperature 20°C below TAIR can increase the temperature difference across the exposed plumage by at least 13% and thus facilitate heat flow through the main thermal resistance to the loss of internally produced heat in birds. While extrapolation from our experimentally constrained conditions to free flight in the atmosphere is difficult, our results suggest that the sky temperature has been a neglected factor in determining the range of TAIR over which prolonged flight is possible.
A smart map representation for autonomous vehicle navigation

Autonomous vehicle technology has attracted many attention in recent years. However, this technology is still challenging in urban areas because of the complicated environments. A highly detailed map for autonomous vehicle is proposed in this paper. This map representation consists of three basic traffic elements: roads, lanes and lane markings. It can represent both the geometrical and topological information of the traffic environment. A highly detailed map database containing these three elements is generated using ArcGIS based on a LIDAR high precision map. Then, a two-class path planning including road class planning and lane class is executed on this map. The map representation proposed in this paper provides an efficient way for intelligent vehicle to pass an intersection in a safe and reasonable way.
From Folkhem to lifestyle housing in Sweden: segregation and urban form, 1930s–2010s

This article analyses the political and ideological transformations underlying the gradual privatisation and deregulation of the mid-twentieth-century Keynesian model of housing provision in Sweden. We identify a series of three political and ideological shifts in housing policy and urban form since the 1930s: regulating Folkhem housing, deregulating Folkhem housing, and back to business in housing. We argue that even though the Folkhem parole of ‘housing for all’ differs extensively from the current situation where the market is ‘housing the privileged’, segregation trends have, from the Folkhem to the post-welfare period, been shaped by both state interventions and market forces. Second, we argue that there is a continuing trend through which newly constructed housing has metamorphosed from a basic human right for the working class into an expression of individual distinction and ‘style’ for the upper middle and middle classes. While privileged classes, more than ever before in modern Swedish housing history, have the possibility to choose new forms of housing, the most impoverished groups live in residual and often stigmatised peripheral housing areas. One main conclusion is that recent forms of housing for privileged groups signal a cultural and ideological shift towards new, more elitist conceptions of housing and privilege.
Auctions on the Internet: What's Being Auctioned, and How?

This paper is an economist's guide to auctions on the Internet. It traces the development of online auctions since 1993, and presents data from a comprehensive study of 142 different Internet auction sites. The results describe the transaction volumes, the types of auction mechanisms used, the types of goods auctioned, and the business models employed at the various sites. These new electronic-commerce institutions raise interesting questions for the economic theory of auctions, such as predicting the types of goods to be sold at auction, examining the incentive effects of varying auctioneer fee structures, and identifying the optimal auction formats for online sellers.
Effect of intra-coronary nicorandil administration prior to reperfusion in acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND Intravenous nicorandil infusion with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been reported to reduce reperfusion injury events and improve cardiac function in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). However, there is limited information on the use of intracoronary nicorandil. METHODS AND RESULTS In the present study, 73 patients with acute ST segment elevation MI undergoing PCI were randomly assigned to the Nicorandil Group (n=37) or the Control Group (n=36). The composite endpoints were the incidences of ventricular arrhythmia, no-reflow and slow flow. A significant difference in the composite endpoint was observed in the Nicorandil Group when compared with the Control Group (p=0.037). The occurrence of post Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade 3 was significantly higher in the Nicorandil Group (p=0.019). Major adverse cardiac events during hospitalization and within 30 days of treatment were similar between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION Administration of intracoronary nicorandil reduced the occurrence of no-reflow, slow reflow, and reperfusion arrhythmia, and improved the myocardial perfusion grade, TIMI flow during PCI and improved clinical outcomes in patients with acute MI.
External Quality Assessment Scheme for Biological Monitoring of Occupational Exposure to Toxic Chemicals

Objectives In this study, we summarized the External Quality Assessment Scheme (EQAS) for the biological monitoring of occupational exposure to toxic chemicals which started in 1995 and continued until a 31st round robin in the spring of 2010. The program was performed twice per year until 2009, and this was changed to once a year since 2010. The objective of the program is to ensure the reliability of the data related to biological monitoring from analytical laboratories. Methods One hundred and eighteen laboratories participated in the 31st round robin. The program offers 5 items for inorganic analysis: lead in blood, cadmium in blood, manganese in blood, cadmium in urine, and mercury in urine. It also offers 10 items for organic analysis, including hippuric acid, methylhippuric acid, mandelic acid, phenylglyoxylic acid, N-methylformamide, N-methylacetamide, trichloroacetic acid, total trichloro-compounds, trans,trans-muconic acid, and 2,5-hexanedione in urine. Target values were determined by statistical analysis using consensus values. All the data, such as chromatograms and calibration curves, were reviewed by the committee. Results The proficiency rate was below 70% prior to the first round robin and improved to over 90% for common items, such as PbB and HA, while those for other items still remained in the range of 60-90% and need to be improved up to 90%. Conclusion The EQAS has taken a primary role in improving the reliability of analytical data. A total quality assurance scheme is suggested, including the validation of technical documentation for the whole analytical procedure.
Les modèles néo-piagétiens : quoi de nouveau ?

Les modeles dits neo-piagetiens se sont developpes en reponse a un certain nombre de critiques adressees a la theorie piagetienne, relatives notamment a la variabilite situationnelle observee, et a la variabilite inter- et intra-individuelle. Cet article se centre sur les modeles de Pascual-Leone, Fischer, Case, Halford, et Demetriou. On montre tout d'abord brievement qu'ils presentent un certain nombre de caracteristiques communes (redefinition de «structures generales» de portee plus restreinte que les structures piagetiennes, importance des analyses de tâches, limites superieures imposees aux performances cognitives par les ressources de traitement, stades definis en termes de performances maximales possibles, etc.). On analyse ensuite les caracteristiques specifiques de chacun de ces modeles et l'evolution qu'ils ont suivie durant ces dix dernieres annees.
Adiponectin Upregulates MiR-133a in Cardiac Hypertrophy through AMPK Activation and Reduced ERK1/2 Phosphorylation

Adiponectin and miR-133a are key regulators in cardiac hypertrophy. However, whether APN has a potential effect on miR-133a remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether APN could regulate miR-133a expression in Angiotensin II (Ang II) induced cardiac hypertrophy in vivo and in vitro. Lentiviral-mediated adiponectin treatment attenuated cardiac hypertrophy induced by Ang II infusion in male wistar rats as determined by reduced cell surface area and mRNA levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANF) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), also the reduced left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness (LVPWd) and end-diastolic interventricular septal thickness (IVSd). Meanwhile, APN elevated miR-133a level which was downregulated by Ang II. To further investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms, we treated neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) with recombinant rat APN before Ang II stimulation. Pretreating cells with recombinant APN promoted AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and inhibited ERK activation. By using the inhibitor of AMPK or a lentiviral vector expressing AMPK short hairpin RNA (shRNA) cancelled the positive effect of APN on miR-133a. The ERK inhibitor PD98059 reversed the downregulation of miR-133a induced by Ang II. These results indicated that the AMPK activation and ERK inhibition were responsible for the positive effect of APN on miR-133a. Furthermore, adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) mRNA expression was inhibited by Ang II stimulation. The positive effects of APN on AMPK activation and miR-133a, and the inhibitory effect on ERK phosphorylation were inhibited in NRVMs transfected with lentiviral AdipoR1shRNA. In addition, APN depressed the elevated expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a direct target of miR-133a, through the AMPK pathway. Taken together, our data indicated that APN reversed miR-133a levels through AMPK activation, reduced ERK1/2 phosphorylation in cardiomyocytes stimulated with Ang II, revealing a previously undemonstrated and important link between APN and miR-133a.