Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolution of the Sexual Script : Insight into Sexual Decision Making among Young African American Women

Objectives: In a prior paper, a logical model of sexual risk-taking in young, sexuallyactive, substance-using African American women (YSSAAW) was posited, whereby traumatic emotional experiences, perceived social norms, and idiosyncratic relational factors (such as relationship length and perceived commitment) contribute to sexual script development in YSSAAW. The current paper expounds on the prior work by giving additional insights into factors that influenced YSSAAW’s choices to either engage in sexual risk or preventative behavior. Methods: Face-to-face, tablet-assisted, semi-structured interviews done among 30 YSSAAW in a private or public emergency department in Houston, TX, USA were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed for thematic content. Interviews began with the question, ‘What does sex mean to you? ’. Interviewee responses were the primary influence to the direction of questions asked in each interview pertaining to sexual histories, social norms, gender-based beliefs, etc. Interviews were fluid and were tailored to the subject’s comfort level on varied sensitive topics. Results: Inter-coder reliability was assessed using Kappa statistic. Six primary themes were identified: emotional wounds, norms, decision making, sexual scripts, behavioural risk, and prevention. These themes imply that life experiences and thoughts lead to sexual decisions by YSSAAW to either engage in: a) high risk sex or b) routine use of prevention strategies purposed to avert negative sexual outcomes (i.e. new cases of HIV or sexually transmitted infections). Conclusions: As emphasized in HIV-prevention literature, a keen understanding of the perspectives of the target population is imperative to tailor effective interventions that reduce HIV risk. Emergency department and primary care physicians, sexual health providers, health intervention researchers, and those generally interested in protecting this vulnerable population will find this information invaluable in having informed discussions about sexual health and preventive behaviors with YSSAAW.
Dynamic Changes of Cumulus-Oocyte Cell Communication During In Vitro Maturation of Porcine Oocytes1

Abstract Oocyte maturation is a key issue of current animal biotechnology. This study was designed to examine the morphodynamics of the cumulus-oocyte association during oocyte maturation. Porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes were recovered from slaughterhouse ovaries; matured in vitro for 0, 24, 36, and 44 h; and evaluated by scanning electron microscopy either combined or not combined with the osmium-dimethyl sulfoxide-osmium maceration (ODO) method. The cytoskeleton distribution was also observed by fluorescence staining. Prior to maturation culture (0 h), the spherical cumulus cells were tightly clustered around the oocyte, with narrow intercellular spaces. They showed active secretion at 36 h and were fully expanded at 44 h of culture. The ODO methods revealed that the cumulus cells projected numerous long and thin transzonal projections at 0 h, but these were largely disconnected at 44 h. The outer surface of the zona pellucida showed a meshwork surface regardless of time of incubation, whereas the inner surface changed from a fine fibrous surface to a spongy surface that was coated with mucin. The vitelline surface changed from a sparse distribution of short microvilli (MV) to a dense distribution of well-developed MV. Fluorescence staining showed that the cumulus cell projections consisted mainly of microfilaments, which were abundant at the germinal vesicle and metaphase-I (M-I) stages (0–24 h) but which were decreased in number at the M-II stage (36–44 h). We conclude that the cumulus-oocyte transzonal projections became disconnected between the M-I and M-II stages as a result of cumulus expansion. The cumulus-cumulus communications, however, remained intact at these stages, although the biological functions of these communications were not clear.
The significance of histopathological diagnosis of toxoplasmosis (Experimental acute acquired toxoplasmosis in mice)

The clinical features of acquired toxoplasmosis are varying from asymptomatic lymphadenopathy to the lethal infection in the immunologically compromised host. The histological changes are described in lymph nodes because of the commonest presenting sign. Although the typical histomorphologic features are described here, acquired toxoplasmosis is usually diagnosed serologically. On the other hand, despite its size and prominent morphological features, many pathologists appear hesitant to accept the charac­ teristic histopathologic changes. Therefore, it should be remembered that it is not easy to make a differential diagnosis of toxoplasmosis from malignant lymphoma and some reactive lesions especially in the lymph nodes. For this purposes, the intraperitoneously infected mice have been searched not only for the presence of T.gondii. but also for the histopathologic changes either in the lymph nodes or in the other tissues.
Uncertainty, Investment, and Industry Evolution

We study the effects of aggregate and idiosyncratic uncertainty on the entry of firms, total investment, and prices in a competitive industry with irreversible investment. We first use standard dynamic programming methods to determine firms' entry decisions, and we describe the resulting industry equilibrium and its characteristics, emphasizing the effects of different sources of uncertainty. We then show how the conditional distribution of prices can be used as an alternative means of determining and understanding the behavior of firms and the resulting industry equilibrium. Finally, we use four-digit U.S. manufacturing data to examine some implications of the model.
Efficient recovery information management schemes for the fault tolerant mobile computing systems

This paper presents region-based storage management schemes, which support the efficient implementation of checkpointing and message logging for fault tolerant mobile computing systems. In the proposed schemes, a recovery manager assigned for a group of cells takes care of the recovery for the mobile hosts within the region. As a result, the recovery information of a mobile host, which may be dispersed over the network due to the mobility of the host, can efficiently be handled.
Ergodic behaviour of "signed voter models"

We answer some questions raised by Gantert, Lowe and Steif (Ann. Inst. Henri Poincare Probab. Stat. 41 (2005) 767 780) concerning "signed" voter models on locally finite graphs. These are voter model like processes with the difference that the edges are considered to be either positive or negative. If an edge between a site x and a site y is negative (respectively positive) the site y will contribute towards the flip rate of x if and only if the two current spin values are equal (respectively opposed).
On the Performance of Superposition Cooperative Diversity in Wireless Networks

An efficient cooperative transmission scheme has been recently proposed based on superposition modulation. Analytical results are necessary to fully understand the superiority of this new scheme, which is the main contribution of this paper. Tight upper and lower bounds of the outage probability of this scheme are first proposed and then the large SNR behavior of the outage probability is studied. Our analytical results prove that the superposition cooperative transmission scheme can achieve around 3 dB better performance and larger diversity order than the selection relaying scenario, which are consistent with the simulation results reported earlier. Finally, we provide outage, delay-limited and ergodic capacity results of cooperative techniques
ANALISIS PENERIMAAN AUDITOR ATAS DYSFUNCTIONAL AUDIT BEHAVIOR : SEBUAH PENDEKATAN KARAKTERISTIK PERSONAL AUDITOR (STUDI EMPIRIS PADA KANTOR AKUNTAN PUBLIK DI WILAYAH SUMATERA)

This study aims to examine the personal characteristics of the auditor theacceptance of the auditor on dysfunctional Audit Behavior. More specifically, thisstudy aims to examine the locus of control, the performance auditor, turnoverintention and commitment to the organization's top auditor reception dysfunctionalAudit Behavior. This study uses a survey of the entire public accounting firm inSumatera with a number of respondents as many as 97 respondents. Data analysistools in this study using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Square (PLSSEM)using SmartPLS software Version 2.0 M3. PLS (Partial Least Square). Theresults showed that that the locus of control has positive influence on acceptance ofdysfunctional audit behavior. Auditor's performance negatively affect acceptance ofdysfunctional audit behavior. Turnover intention positive influence on acceptance ofdysfunctional audit behavior. Organizational commitment negatively affectacceptance of dysfunctional audit behavior. Keywords: locus of control, the performance auditor, turnover intention andorganizational commitment, and acceptance of the auditor on the auditdysfunctional behavior.
Does Fasting Modulate Physio-Psychological Responses to Emotional Pictures? An Analysis by MEG, VAS and Peripheral Physiological Markers

To relieve or manage stress, objective assessment of stress is required. Instead of direct assessment of stress, we have been investigating whether responses to emotional stimuli are modulated by stress. As emotional stimuli, 8 pleasant (P: high arousal and high emotional valence), 8 neutral (N: low arousal and moderate emotional valence), and 8 unpleasant (U: high arousal and low emotional valence) pictures were selected from the International Affective Picture System (Univ. of Florida) database and presented to 20 healthy volunteers for 3 s per picture. Psychological scores using a visual analog scale (VAS) indicate that the emotional valence of the selected pictures was perceived by the participants as expected. Magnetoencephalograms (MEG) and traditional physiological markers of heart rate and oxygen saturation of the peripheral artery (SpO2) were recorded simultaneously. Amplitude modulations of alpha rhythm (8–13 Hz) by presentation of emotional pictures were compared in a normal (control) condition and in a fasting-induced stress condition. Data for 17 participants were analyzed by two-way [emotional category (P/N/U) × condition (control/fasting)] repeated measures ANOVA and a multiple comparison test with Bonferroni’s correction. Signi cant interaction in amplitude modulation was observed in the early stage (within 0.5–1.75 s from the start of picture presentation; p = 0.019). In the control condition, alpha rhythms were more signi cantly suppressed by both pleasant and unpleasant pictures than by neutral pictures (P < N: p = 0.011, U < N: p = 0.044). In the fasting condition, alpha rhythm was more signi cantly suppressed by unpleasant pictures than by pleasant pictures (U < P: p = 0.018). In other words, the amplitude depends on arousal in the control condition, while it depends on emotional valence in the fasting condition. Since it is known that alpha rhythm is suppressed by attention to visual input, these results suggest that attention to pleasant stimuli is lost under fasting-induced stress. On the other hand, heart rate and SpO2 were not different between the emotional categories and were not modulated by the fasting-induced stress. MEG seems to be practical and powerful for objective detection of prompt response to emotion and assessment of stress, probably because of its high temporal resolution and selectivity to a speci c brain region.
Cloud Rendering using 3 D Textures

This paper presents a comparison of three different lighting techniques for clouds rendered using 3D textures. However, before one can experiment with lighting, methods for generating and rendering volumetric cloud data are required. One method for generating data using Perlin noise [10] is described. A method for rendering this generated volumetric cloud data as a 3D texture is also covered. The analysis of each lighting method is based on performance as well as their visual appeal (which in turn is based on a method’s ability to handle physical light interaction etc.) Each method is also accompanied by implementation details that provide the basis for the comparisons. Finally the lighting methods are compared with each other.
Mucus clearance and lung function in cystic fibrosis with hypertonic saline.

BACKGROUND Abnormal homeostasis of the volume of airway surface liquid in patients with cystic fibrosis is thought to produce defects in mucus clearance and airway defense. Through osmotic forces, hypertonic saline may increase the volume of airway surface liquid, restore mucus clearance, and improve lung function. METHODS A total of 24 patients with cystic fibrosis were randomly assigned to receive treatment with inhaled hypertonic saline (5 ml of 7 percent sodium chloride) four times daily with or without pretreatment with amiloride. Mucus clearance and lung function were measured during 14-day baseline and treatment periods. RESULTS Long-term inhalation of hypertonic saline without pretreatment with amiloride (i.e., with placebo pretreatment) resulted in a sustained (> or =8 hours) increase in 1-hour rates of mucus clearance, as compared with those with amiloride pretreatment (14.0+/-2.0 vs. 7.0+/-1.5 percent, respectively; P=0.02) and increased 24-hour rates of mucus clearance over baseline. Furthermore, inhalation of hypertonic saline with placebo improved the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) between the baseline period and the treatment period (mean difference, 6.62 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.6 to 11.7; P=0.02), whereas hypertonic saline with amiloride did not improve FEV1 (mean difference, 2.9 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, -2.2 to 8.0; P=0.23). Forced vital capacity (FVC), the forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75 percent of FVC (FEF25-75), and respiratory symptoms also significantly improved in patients treated with hypertonic saline and placebo, whereas the residual volume as a proportion of total lung capacity (RV:TLC) did not change in either group. A comparison of the changes in lung function in the two groups showed no significant difference. In vitro data suggested that sustained hydration of airway surfaces was responsible for the sustained improvement in mucus clearance, whereas inhibition of osmotically driven water transport by amiloride accounted for the observed loss of clinical benefit. CONCLUSIONS In patients with cystic fibrosis, inhalation of hypertonic saline produced a sustained acceleration of mucus clearance and improved lung function. This treatment may protect the lung from insults that reduce mucus clearance and produce lung disease.
Center-based weighted kernel linear regression for image classification

Recently, the linear regression classification (LRC) has been proposed. LRC uses linear regression representation of each class for classification. Based on LRC, a few improved methods are proposed, such as kernel linear regression classification (KLRC), kernel ridge regression classification (KRRC) and nearest regularized subspace (NRS). Motivated by the LRC, KLRC, KRRC and NRS, center-based weighted kernel linear regression (CWKLR) is proposed for image classification in this paper. CWKLR firstly constitutes the center-based kernel matrix based on the KLRC and KRRC. Next, CWKLR utilizes the Tikhonov Matrix to solve the weighted projection coefficients for classification. Experiments on Coil100 object database, Eth80 object database and GT face database are used to evaluate the proposed algorithms. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methods achieve better recognition rate than some state-of-the-art methods.
Data Fusion for Improved Respiration Rate Estimation

We present an application of a modified Kalman-Filter (KF) framework for data fusion to the estimation of respiratory rate from multiple physiological sources which is robust to background noise. A novel index of the underlying signal quality of respiratory signals is presented and then used to modify the noise covariance matrix of the KF which discounts the effect of noisy data. The signal quality index, together with the KF innovation sequence, is also used to weight multiple independent estimates of the respiratory rate from independent KFs. The approach is evaluated both on a realistic artificial ECG model (with real additive noise) and on real data taken from 30 subjects with overnight polysomnograms, containing ECG, respiration, and peripheral tonometry waveforms from which respiration rates were estimated. Results indicate that our automated voting system can out-perform any individual respiration rate estimation technique at all levels of noise and respiration rates exhibited in our data. We also demonstrate that even the addition of a noisier extra signal leads to an improved estimate using our framework. Moreover, our simulations demonstrate that different ECG respiration extraction techniques have different error profiles with respect to the respiration rate, and therefore a respiration rate-related modification of any fusion algorithm may be appropriate.
On the Conformity of Business Cycles Across EU Countries ∗

This paper analyses the conformity of the European business cycles. While previous papers have searched for the existence of synchronous business cycles in the euro-zone, this paper takes the synchronization as given and instead focuses on the growth pattern over the business cycle and deepness of the business cycles. Three interesting results emerge: First, the growth pattern appears to be almost identical across countries with the exception of the UK and Denmark. Second, the business cycle can best be characterized as consisting of two phases. Third, the deepness of the EU business cycle appears to be homogenous across countries. This result challenges Friedman’s “ceiling hypothesis”.
A Machine-Learning Based Approach for Measuring the Completeness of Online Privacy Policies

Web site privacy policies are often long, difficult to understand, and contain incomplete information. Consequently, users tend not to read the privacy policies, thus putting their privacy at risk. This paper describes an automated approach for assisting users to evaluate online privacy policies based on completeness. The term completeness refers to the presence of 8 sections in an online privacy policy that have been recognized as helpful in establishing the transparency of a privacy policy. Given a new online privacy policy, the proposed system employs a machine-learning based approach to predict a completeness score for the privacy policy. This score can then be used by the user to assess the risk to their privacy.
An open-label, two-period comparative study on pharmacokinetics and safety of a combined ethinylestradiol/gestodene transdermal contraceptive patch

We investigated the pharmacokinetics and safety profiles of a newly developed combined ethinylestradiol (EE)/gestodene (GSD) transdermal contraceptive patch after a single-dose administration and compared with the market available tablet formulation in healthy adult subjects. An open-label, two-period comparative study was conducted in 12 healthy women volunteers. A single dose of the study combined EE/GE transdermal contraceptive patch and oral tablet (Milunet®) were administered. Blood samples at different time points after dose were collected, and concentrations were analyzed. A reliable, highly sensitive and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) assay method was developed in this study to determine the plasma concentrations of EE and GSD. Compared to the tablet, the study patch had a significantly decreased maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), extended time to reach the Cmax and half-life, as well as increased clearance and apparent volume of distribution. The half-lives of EE and GSD of the patch were 3.3 and 2.2 times, respectively, than the half-life of the tablet. The areas under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUCs) of EE and GSD of the patch were 8.0 and 16.2 times, respectively, than the AUC of the tablet. No severe adverse event was observed during the whole study, and the general safety was acceptable. In conclusion, compared to the oral tablet Milunet, the study contraceptive patch was well tolerated and showed potent drug exposure, significant extended half-life and stable drug concentrations.
Climate change as a threat to tourism in the Alps

Switzerland's economy depends heavily on tourism. For many alpine areas in the coun- try, winter tourism is the most important source of income, and snow-reliability is one of the key ele- ments of the offers made by tourism in the Alps. The financial viability of winter tourism, however, depends on sufficient snow conditions. The lack of snow at the end of the 1980s left a lasting imprint on the tourism industry. If the assumptions of the impacts of climate change hold true, snow cover in the Swiss Alps will diminish, and this will, in turn, jeopardise the tourism industry. 85% of Switzer- land's current ski resorts can be designated as snow-reliable. If climate change occurs, the level of snow-reliability will rise from 1200 m up to 1800 m over the next few decades. Only 44% of the ski resorts would then still be snow-reliable. While some regions may be able to maintain their winter tourism with suitable adaptation strategies, others would lose all winter tourism due to a diminishing snow pack. Despite global warming, it is impossible to exclude the possibility of winters with heavy snowfall in the future (e.g. the winter of 1998/99, particularly February 1999). Climate change must be viewed as a catalyst that is reinforcing and accelerating the pace of structural changes in tourism. Today, adaptation strategies are predominant in tourism (e.g. artificial snow production). As an industry that will be severely affected by climate change, however, tourism will increasingly have to focus on mitigation strategies (e.g. less greenhouse gas emissions by tourism traffic).
Research and Analysis in Sport Economics and Management

This is an introductory article to the present supplement where it is presented a total of 23 research papers, which has been discussed within the VII Iberoamerican Congress of Economics and Management of Sport, where it will be see the standards of quality and scientific rigor usual in these disciplines, which will contribute to a greater and better understanding of the economic dimension of sport in its different perspectives. In this way, it is important to emphasize the integrative nature of the selected works, which reinforce the interdisciplinary and integrating perspective research on issues relating to sport and physical activity. The research areas are as follows, sports psychology, sports economics, sports management and sports marketing institutions among others.
The Application of Rules in Morphology, Syntax and Number Processing: A Case of Selective Deficit of Procedural or Executive Mechanisms?

Declarative memory is a long-term store for facts, concepts and words. Procedural memory subserves the learning and control of sensorimotor and cognitive skills, including the mental grammar. In this study, we report a single-case study of a mild aphasic patient who showed procedural deficits in the presence of preserved declarative memory abilities. We administered several experiments to explore rule application in morphology, syntax and number processing. Results partly support the differentiation between declarative and procedural memory. Moreover, the patient's performance varied according to the domain in which rules were to be applied, which underlines the need for more fine-grained distinctions in cognition between procedural rules.