Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of weekly augmentation therapy in patients with PiZZ α 1-antitrypsin deficiency

Background: The major concept behind augmentation therapy with human α 1 -antitrypsin (AAT) is to raise the levels of AAT in patients with protease inhibitor phenotype ZZ (Glu342Lys)-inherited AAT deficiency and to protect lung tissues from proteolysis and progression of emphysema. Objective: To evaluate the short-term effects of augmentation therapy (Prolastin ® ) on plasma levels of AAT, C-reactive protein, and chemokines/cytokines. Materials and methods: Serum and exhaled breath condensate were collected from individuals with protease inhibitor phenotype ZZ AAT deficiency-related emphysema (n = 12) on the first, third, and seventh day after the infusion of intravenous Prolastin. Concentrations of total and polymeric AAT, interleukin-8 (IL-8), monocyte chemotactic protein-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α , vascular endothelial growth factor, and C-reactive protein were determined. Blood neutrophils and primary epithelial cells were also exposed to Prolastin (1 mg/mL). Results: There were significant fluctuations in serum (but not in exhaled breath condensate) levels of AAT polymers, IL-8, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α , and vascular endothelial growth factor within a week of augmentation therapy. In general, augmented individuals had higher AAT and lower serum levels of IL-8 than nonaugmented subjects. Prolastin added for 3 hours to neutrophils from protease inhibitor phenotype ZZ individuals in vitro reduced IL-8 release but showed no effect on cytokine/chemokine release from human bronchial epithelial cells. Conclusion: Within a week, augmentation with Prolastin induced fluctuations in serum levels of AAT polymers and cytokine/chemokines but specifically lowered IL-8 levels. It remains to be determined whether these effects are related to the Prolastin preparation per se or to the therapeutic efficacy of augmentation with AAT.
Errata‐based correction of marine geophysical trackline data

We announce the completion of 5,230 errata correction tables which remove extreme, obvious errors from the National Geophysical Data Center's marine geophysical trackline archive. Along with a range of error types correctable using along‐track analysis, we determined that ∼62% of gravity surveys omit raw measurements and that ∼89% of magnetic anomalies are outdated and require recomputing. These errata tables reduce median global crossovers from 27.3 m to 24.0 m (bathymetry), 81.6 nT to 29.6 nT (magnetic anomalies) and 6.0 mGal to 4.4 mGal (free air gravity). We consider these methods gentler and more fundamental than the predominant crossover approach in that along‐track corrections affect only data flagged as erroneous by a reviewer; the vast majority of data are left unchanged. Removal of obvious errors is an important initial step that should precede crossover analysis, interpolation, and gridding, thereby strengthening the scientific analysis.
Facilitators and Barriers to Implementation of Childhood Tuberculosis Control Program in Bangladesh: a Mixed-methods Study From BRAC Urban DOTS Centres in Dhaka

Organisation (WHO) estimates childhood tuberculosis (tb) in high burden to be at least 10-15% of all cases. Despite intensive efforts on the childhood tb control program in Bangladesh, case detection rates stand below 5%. This study investigated the implementation pathway of childhood tb in Bangladesh. The study aims to identify the factors that enable and hinder the diagnosis and treatment of childhood tb in Bangladesh.
Concentration trends and mixing states of particulate oxalate in Arctic boundary layer in winter/spring

[1] Particulate organic species contribute to the formation of cloud condensation nuclei and may play a role in the formation/growth of condensation nuclei. The field measurements in this paper investigated size distribution and mixing states of particulate oxalate (one of major organic compounds in aerosol particles) in the Arctic boundary layer in during the winter and spring. The variation of particulate oxalate concentration correlated well with nss-SO42− concentration. This correlation may be due to the direct emissions of oxalate and its precursors of oxalate from anthropogenic sources. The molar ratio of oxalate to nss-SO42− was found to gradually increase from winter to early spring with the recovery of solar radiation to the Arctic Circle. Individual aerosol particle analysis by means of laser microprobe mass spectrometry showed that most of the oxalate was internally mixed with sulfate in fine particle mode (0.2–2.0 μm).
DRIFT-KINETIC THEORY OF NEOCLASSICAL TEARING MODES CLOSE TO THE THRESHOLD IN TOKAMAK PLASMAS

A drift-kinetic theory for the particle response to a narrow magnetic island in a hot, low collision frequency (much less than the diamagnetic frequency, for example) tokamak plasma is presented. The islands are assumed to have a width comparable to the characteristic orbit width of trapped ions. Streamlines are derived, which for the passing ions lie on surfaces with the same geometry as the flux surfaces of the magnetic island, but shifted relative to it by an amount of order the poloidal ion Larmor radius. The ion distribution function therefore tends to flatten across these “drift islands”, rather than the magnetic island. In the absence of an electrostatic potential, the electron streamlines closely follow the magnetic island flux surfaces. However, quasi-neutrality requires an electrostatic potential which then makes a significant contribution to both the electron and ion responses, resulting in a gradient in density and temperature being maintained across magnetic islands of width comparable to the ion banana width. This then tends to suppress the bootstrap current perturbation and, indeed, results in a decay of magnetic islands if their width is less than a few ion banana widths, while larger magnetic islands will grow. This provides a threshold island width which must be exceeded for instability of the resulting neoclassical tearing mode, in qualitative agreement with experiment.
Local Sq response functions from EMSLAB data

Magnetic signals from six seafloor stations on the Juan de Fuca plate and one land station are examined for information content about the structure of the regional lithosphere and mantle. Single-site Z/H responses for the first four Sq harmonics are calculated from 24 quiet days. Two corrections are applied to the data: (1) to the usual strictly Pm+1m source morphology, we also include the contribution of the Pm+3m spherical harmonic to the magnetic potential of Sq; and (2) the coast effect is removed by use of two-dimensional model calculations with a simulated nonuniform source field. The model enables us to separate the anomalous vertical magnetic field attributable to the lateral conductance change from the normal vertical magnetic field in the absence of lateral conductance changes. The normal vertical field is calculated from the vertical conductivity distribution and the particular form of the source field. The sum of both normal and anomalous fields reproduces the observations. The anomalous part has been used to correct the observed vertical to east magnetic component ratio for the effect of the land-ocean transition. The corrected ratio has been interpreted with Schmucker's “equivalent conductor” method, yielding estimates of the impedance at Sq frequencies. These estimates are used as an independent check on magnetotelluric (MT) impedances in the Sq frequency range, in particular for the purpose of identifying the local static distortion of the electric field. No significant distortion seems detectable at the outermost seafloor stations. The Sq and MT impedances are consistent with a single model.
Corporate Communications: An International Journal

Purpose – This paper aims to introduce the special issue on CSR communication attached to the First International CSR Communication Conference held in Amsterdam in October 2011. The aim of the introduction is also to review CSR communication papers published in scholarly journals in order to make a summary of the state of CSR communication knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – The existing literature on CSR communication was approached via systematic review. with a combination of conventional and summative qualitative content analysis. The ﬁnal dataset contained 90 papers from two main business and management databases, i.e. EBSCOhost and ProQuest. Findings – Papers were coded into three main categories. The results show that the majority of the papers are concerned with disclosure themes. Considerably less salient are papers that fall under process-oriented themes and the outcomes/consequences of CSR communications. The most important outlets for CSR communication-related topics are Journal of Business Ethics and Corporate Communications: An International Journal . Originality/value – This paper represents the ﬁrst attempt to perform a systematic and comprehensive overview of CSR communication papers in scholarly journals. Its value is in making this rather vast and heterogeneous literature more visible and accessible to all CSR communication scholars.
The grain/bed collision in sand transport by wind

In the last decade much progress has been made toward the development of a comprehensive model of aeolian sediment transport in which the grain/bed collision has been identified as having a significant role. The grain/bed collision has been studied by both physical experiments and numerical simulation. A principal objective of these studies has been to gather sufficient data to characterize the collision in order that it may be represented as an empirical function in numerical models of the sand transport system. Thus the study of the exact physical mechanism of the collision has to some extent been neglected. The transport of larger particles in saltation over a loose surface is known to promote the release of finer particles from that surface into suspension. Thus the precise physics of the grain/bed collision become highly significant with regard to the physics of dust release from a surface. This paper re-examines previous collision data and compares them with a simple collision model. This model proposed that the impinging grain strikes a single surface grain and rebounds: an alternative mechanism might be that the impinging grain ploughs through the surface striking a number of bed grains before rebounding. The collision data are shown to support the model: first, because the duration of the collisions observed on the high speed film supports a short contact time with the surface and, second, because the data fit well with the model.
Scenario Tool: and

—Driven by a trend towards renewable forms of gener- ation, in particular wind, the nature of power system operation is changing. With respect to wind power, the uncertainty of the wind becomes an issue which must be considered. Through the use of wind forecasting, this uncertainty may be managed. The error inherent in forecasting will impact system reliability and cost as will inaccuracies in assumptions about the forecast error. This paper presents the methodology adopted for use in a Scenario Tree Tool constructed to allow for closer examination of the effect of forecast error assumptions and properties in unit commitment scheduling models.
Optimal Orientation Angle Configuration of Polarizers Exists in a 3 × 3 Mueller Matrix Polarimeter

A 3 × 3 Mueller matrix polarimeter, as one of the primary polarization measurement tools, has attracted intensive interest in various fields of polarization optics. In this paper, from a novel viewpoint with more mathematical analysis of the basic configuration and the working performance of a 3 × 3 Mueller matrix polarimeter, we systematically study the relationship between Mueller matrix measurement errors with the configuration and characteristics of polarizers in the polarimeter. We figure out that, mathematically, there is an optimal orientation angle configuration (0°, 60°, and 120°) of polarizers, which inherently ensures a minimal relative measurement error in general. Moreover, we interpret the internal source of such a robust error resistance under this optimized configuration mathematically for the first time. Simulation and practical experiments show the effectiveness of our mathematical analyses, and compared to the frequently used orientation angle configuration, the average relative error is reduced by up to 32% under such an optimized configuration.
Enhancing Semantic Search Using Case-based Modular Ontology

In this paper, we present a semantic search approach based on Case-based modular Ontology. Our work aims to improve ontology-based information retrieval by the integration of the traditional information retrieval, the use of ontology and the case based reasoning (CBR). In fact, our recommender approach uses the CBR with semantic Web language markup-by ontology-for case representation and indexing. Ontology-based similarity is used to retrieve similar cases and to provide end users with alternative recommendations. The main contribution of this work is the use of a CBR mechanism and an ontological representation for two purposes: Resource Retrieval from Web and ontology enrichment from cases.
End Users’ Purchasing Task Involvement, Power, and Influence Strategies in Organizational Buying

Purpose - To explore the motives behind end users’ influence in purchasing, and the way in which such influence manifests. The research draws on the concept of purchasing task involvement to gain a deeper understanding of users’ stakes in organizational purchasing and links it to sources of power and corresponding influence strategies deployed. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on 90 in-depth interviews with buyers, drivers and sellers of heavy trucks. Findings - Purchasing task involvement largely extends the technical products’ and brands’ features. Users’ involvement in the purchasing decision is common among end users, but relates to manifest influence under specific contingencies and specific distributions of power between the buyer and the user. Users were found to rely on reinforcement and referent power, while buyers, in turn, on legitimate or expert power to avoid users influencing buying decisions, or on reinforcement power to allow their participation. Originality/value – This is the first study to link end users’ purchasing task involvement, power, and influence strategies in organizational buying.
Low-Complexity Codes for Approximately Achieving Wireless Network Capacity

—Characterizing the fundamental limits of communication in wireless networks has been a holy grail of information theory for decades. Recent progress on this problem for wireless relay networks [1] has led to a Quantize-Map-and-Forward (QMF) relaying strategy which approximately achieves the network capacity. The scheme employs Gaussian codebooks for transmission and random mappings at the relays. For communication system design however, efﬁcient and implementable coding and signaling techniques are required. Taking inspiration from the phenomenal success of iterative codes for point-to-point channels, we aim to develop low-complexity QMF-based iterative schemes for networks that provably retain the universal performance guarantees. In preliminary work, we present a structured QMF scheme for the parallel-relay network, employing LDPC ensembles for node operations. We demonstrate via simulations, that our scheme, with no transmit channel state information, offers a robust performance over fading channels and achieves the full diversity order of the network at moderate SNRs
USER EXPERIENCE FOR DIGITAL ONBOARDING Examining fragmented system environments

As system environments become more complex, digital onboarding plays an increasingly vital role in helping new hires adapt to their digital surroundings. However, the user experience for new employees during digital onboarding in the workplace remains understudied compared to non-digital onboarding. In this Research through Design project spanning almost five months, we investigated the key aspects of digital onboarding that impact new hires' user experience and devised strategies to overcome challenges posed by fragmented systems. Through interviews and vast data collection at a tech company, “ Company X ”, in Sweden, we identified pain points in the current digital onboarding process. Creative methods were employed to address these challenges, resulting in the creation and testing of a high-fidelity prototype. Feedback from new hires indicated that several of their experienced challenges had been successfully addressed. This study provides valuable insights for improving digital onboarding and user experience in fragmented system environments.
Resolution Independent Grid-Based Path Planning.

Abstract : Energy conservation in a rover is an important factor which should be considered for a mission of long duration. Locomotion is one of the primary consumers of energy. The energy used depends on the terrain and the path taken by the robot. This paper develops a planning strategy based on cell decomposition and A* algorithm which would minimize power usage due to locomotion. Cell decomposition is used because of its ability to represent the environment as a grid of continuous values. The current limitation with cell decomposition is that the path produced is resolution-optimal only. The method developed in this paper overcomes this problem and produces resolution-independent optimal solutions for a binary (obstacle/free space) environment and better results for the continuously varying environment than common existing techniques. This is done in a computationally efficient manner.
Role of Global Self-Esteem, Professional Burnout and Selected Socio-Demographic Variables in the Prediction of Polish Nurses ’ Quality of Life – A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the role of global self-esteem and professional burnout in predicting Polish nurses ’ quality of life. Materials and Methods: The research involved 1806 nurses who were employed in 23 hospitals in north-eastern Poland. Forty-seven percent of nurses, aged ≤ 44 years, were quali ﬁ ed to Group 1, while 53% of nurses, aged ≥ 45 years, were included in Group 2. A diagnostic survey was applied as a research method. For the collection of data, the WHOQoL-Bref questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Copenhagen Professional Burnout Inventory were used. For the statistical analysis, the signi ﬁ cance level of P < 0.05 was adopted. Results: Global self-esteem had a positive orientation towards the prediction of the quality of life among the younger nurse group in the psychological and social domains by explaining 20% (ßeta = 0.33; R 2 = 0.20) and 15% (ßeta = 0.28; R 2 = 0.15) of the result variation, respectively. In the older nurse group, personal burnout, which took a negative orientation in the somatic (ßeta = − 0.33 R 2 = 0.19), social (ßeta = − 0.37; R 2 = 0.17) and environmental domains (ßeta = − 0.28; R 2 = 0.32), had the greatest share in predicting the quality of life. Conclusion: There is a need for the implementation of professional burnout prevention programs, as professional burnout adversely affects the quality of life in the somatic, social and environmental domain, particularly in the older nurse group.
Thermosphere and ionosphere response to subauroral polarization streams (SAPS): Model simulations

An empirical model of subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) has been incorporated into the Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM). This SAPS driven TIEGCM is used to simulate the effect of SAPS on the global thermosphere and ionosphere during a moderate geomagnetically active period between day of year (DOY) 329 and 333 in 2008. Model results show: (1) SAPS caused an increase in global thermospheric temperature which became stronger with time. This neutral temperature increase was more significant in subauroral and auroral regions. Joule heating by the SAPS and the redistribution of this heat by dynamic processes were the primary mechanisms for the simulated global neutral temperature changes. (2) In the SAPS driven TIEGCM, the strong ion drag effect in the subauroral SAPS channel drove large changes in thermospheric winds. Zonal neutral winds had either an extra, separate channel of westward flow in the subauroral region in the afternoon-midnight sector or a broad westward wind jet that merged with the regular duskside auroral westward zonal neutral wind driven by the high latitude convection pattern. The exact latitudinal profile of the zonal winds depended on local time. (3) The response of neutral temperature and wind to SAPS was more significant at higher altitudes and exhibited seasonal/hemispheric asymmetry. (4) The heating to the thermosphere by SAPS also resulted in changes in thermospheric composition with upwelling of molecular rich air in subauroral and auroral regions and downwelling of atomic oxygen rich air at other latitudes. These changes in thermospheric composition contributed to the deeper and more extended ionospheric electron density depletions in subauroral middle latitude regions, as well as electron density increases along the equatorward edge of the SAPS channel in the afternoon sector.
Understanding the Impact of the Dark Web on Society: A Systematic Literature Review

The dark web is considered an expansion of the deep web, intentionally hidden from the surface web. It can only be accessed with a particular group of browsers that allow the user to stay anonymous while navigating the dark web. With the untraceable hidden layer of the Internet and the anonymity of the users associated with the dark web, several impressive cybercrimes have been reported. This paper aims to examine the impact of the dark web on society. The article systematically reviews relevant academic literature and books to understand how the dark web works and its societal effects. The study has found that the dark web is an enabler of several cybercrimes. Moreover, while governments and regulatory authorities have introduced strategic detection techniques on the dark web, cybercriminals are adaptive towards the strategies and, given time, will usually find ways to bypass such detection techniques. It is recommended that the regulatory authorities and cyber threat intelligence periodically review the detection techniques for effective monitoring. Furthermore, security agencies or forensic analysts should ensure that they are updated with the latest scientific knowledge on the safe management of the dark web by undertaking more training in cyber security. There is also a need for further research to focus on awareness campaigns about the dangers of the dark web.