Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
OPLD: Towards improved non-intrusive office plug load disaggregation

Practical energy auditing in offices poses several challenges unlike homes e.g. physically large space, diverse energy appliances types, several appliance instances and occupancy non-obstructiveness. However, improved energy-auditing measures using predictive analytics can benefit energy savings and reduce building operational costs. A review of some publicly available energy datasets such as AMPds, BLUED, ECO, REDD etc. is presented to help understand practical limitations in relying and applying them alike for office plug load audits. A possible approach to predict miscellaneous electrical plug loads (MELs) is proposed using Office Plug Load Dataset (OPLD) based on empirical characteristics and measurements of MELs devices. This work in progress study is one of the first attempts to characterize office desktop appliances across multiple states through a very large experimental dataset. The dataset might be effective in identifying individual appliances & its states in aggregate signature. This can find promising application in improving our understanding on office MELs and thus disaggregating them from single-point measurement.
Packet Error Rate Analysis of IEEE 802.15.4 under Saturated IEEE 802.11b Network Interference

In this paper, the packet error rate (PER) of IEEE 802.15. 4 under the interference of a saturated IEEE 802.11b network is evaluated using an analytic model when IEEE 802.15. 4 and IEEE 802.1 11b coexist. The PER is obtained from the bit error rate (BER) and the collision time, where the BER is obtained from the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio. The analytic results are validated using simulations.
Forecasting commercial rental values using ARIMA models

The application of short‐term forecasting techniques to the prediction of commercial rental values generates valuable information about the dynamics of rent movements. It also captures short‐run trends more effectively than do other forecasting procedures. Makes use of ARIMA models to provide one‐step‐ahead predictions. The results show that ARIMA models perform better in the case of retail and office sectors. The forecasts for these sectors are satisfactory. Retail rents bear a relationship to their past values, whereas office rents are influenced by shocks in the market – demand or supply driven. The results of the present study are useful for incorporation in more general models of rent forecasting. Also presents a full methodology which facilitates its application.
Overexpression of the A1 adenosine receptor in adipose tissue protects mice from obesity‐related insulin resistance

In‐vitro studies have implicated the A1 adenosine receptor (A1AR) of adipocytes in inhibition of lipolysis, stimulation of lipogenesis and enhancement of the action of insulin on glucose metabolism. To determine whether any of these activities were physiologically relevant in an intact animal, A1AR was overexpressed in adipose tissue of transgenic mice. Lower plasma free fatty acid (FFA) levels were observed in the transgenic mice relative to the litter‐matched controls, supporting a significant physiological role for adipocyte A1AR in the control of lipolysis. However, no differences were observed in body weights or body composition. On a high fat diet, both the transgenic mice and the litter matched controls, male and female, became equally obese. Unlike the control mice, however, the transgenic mice did not develop insulin resistance, as demonstrated by serum glucose and insulin levels and glucose and insulin tolerance tests. These findings demonstrate that adipocyte A1AR plays an important physiological role in the control of insulin sensitivity in an intact animal and therefore should be considered to be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity‐related insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Relevant factors that affect service recovery performance

This paper explores the factors that affect employees' service recovery performance from the perspectives of internal management. In addition, this paper combines the techniques of linear multi-variable statistical analysis and nonlinear fuzzy neural network methodology to analyse data and validate hypotheses. This paper selects travel agents who have frequent interactions with customers and provide intangible services. The empirical finding indicates that the more authoritative leaders have a more negative effect on employees' service recovery performance. Strong corporate culture works against employees' service recovery performance. Employees with high self-efficacy have better service recovery performance. The important characteristic of this paper is that it combines multi-variable analysis and nonlinear fuzzy neural network methodology in its empirical approach. Meanwhile, the factors concerning internal management within an organisation are examined, and measures to enhance employees' service recovery performance are proposed. In other words, these are responses to improve service recovery performance of employees on a preventive basis within an organisation. This is very different from the consumers' perspectives as seen in most of the previous literature. Past studies tend to focus on the amendments and responses of service recovery from the perspectives of consumers, and a vast majority of the case studies examine western enterprises. This paper studies small and medium enterprises in Taiwan and illustrates the factors that affect employees' service recovery performance.
Impact of Union budget on NIFTY

Union budget is one of such important policy factor which brings volatility and greater returns to the stock market. If investor can take wise and informed decision well in advance before the declaration of budget and after the declaration of budget he, may gain good returns out of this. Generally past researches are done by taking shorter period so in this study researcher has taken a longer period i. e. from 1996 to 2013 which covers 21 total budgets, and this time period was again divided into short term (3 days), medium term (15 days), long term (30 days) before and after the declaration of the union budget. The findings are that there is no significant impact of union budget on the NSE index called NIFTY. In this study, S&P CNX NIFTY (a well-diversified 50 stock index accounting for 24 sectors of the economy) is being used to check whether announcement of union budget has any impact on these or not in 60 days' time span. Index is used for a purpose such as bench marking fund portfolios, index based derivatives, structured products, ETFs and index funds. S&P CNX NIFTY stocks represent about 64.38% of the total free float market capitalization of the universe of the stocks traded on NSE as on March 31, 2011.
Nonclinical Selection Criteria for Maximizing Yield of Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests in Tuberculosis Diagnosis

ABSTRACT In spite of the excellent performance of rapid tuberculosis (TB) nucleic acid amplification (NAA) tests and the clear benefits of immediate diagnosis of TB disease, NAA tests frequently are not used in the diagnosis of pulmonary TB cases, particularly TB cases with smear-negative sputa. Public health laboratories primarily perform TB NAA tests only on a targeted subset of specimens, usually including those that are smear positive and those for which a clinician has specifically requested NAA testing. As an alternative to targeted testing, some laboratories use TB NAA tests universally for all respiratory specimens, though this practice can be prohibitively costly and can be associated with an increased frequency of false-positive results due to testing of lower-risk patients. We propose a strategy for identifying individuals for NAA testing on the basis of nonclinical risk criteria that are routinely provided on the test requisition form, such as type of health care facility from which the specimen is received and patient age group. Use of this strategy at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Laboratory would allow for NAA test identification of approximately 54 (74%) of 72 culture-positive pulmonary TB cases over a 1-year period while requiring NAA testing for only 933 (17%) of 5,469 individuals submitting respiratory specimens. We demonstrate that use of nonclinical NAA test selection criteria is an effective strategy for maximizing the number of TB cases that can be rapidly identified while minimizing the number of specimens that must be tested.
Epidemiological Correlates of Diabetic Neuropathy: Report From Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study

The natural history of diabetic neuropathy and its risk factors are not well understood, apart from the recognition that prevalence increases with duration and, in many studies, degree of glycemia. The role of potential risk factors was therefore evaluated in a cross-sectional analysis from the baseline examination of the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study. We present results from the first 400 subjects seen at baseline examination. Neuropathy was determined by a trained internist with a standardized examination and was defined as the presence of at least two of three criteria: abnormal sensory or motor signs, symptoms consistent with neuropathy, and decreased tendon reflexes. The prevalence of neuropathy in this cohort was 34% (18%, 18-29 yr old, 58% ≥30 yr old) with no difference by sex. By focusing on subjects s 18 yr old, all significant univariate variables (e.g., duration, glycosylated hemoglobin [HbAJ) were analyzed in 3 multiple logistic regression models: all subjects ≥18 yr old and separating the same subjects into two groups based on age (18-29 and 2:30 yr). Duration, HbA1, smoking status, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were found to be associated with neuropathy in the models for the ≥18-yr-old group and the ≥30-yr-old group. In the 18- to 29-yr-old group, duration, HbA1, and hypertension status were found to be significantly associated with neuropathy. There was a univariate association of neuropathy with macrovascular disease, nephropathy, and retinopathy. Macrovascular disease, although borderline significant, remained in the original logistic model for the ≥18-yr-old subjects. The addition of either retinopathy or nephropathy to the original logistic model for the 18- to 29-yr-old subjects resulted in a statistically significantly improved fit (of model to data), suggesting that these complications may be a marker for something beyond the risk factors described. The results suggest that traditional cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., lipids and smoking) are important determinants of distal symmetric polyneuropathy and if confirmed in prospective follow-up, open new avenues to the prevention of diabetic neuropathy.
Measurement of anxious traits: a contemporary review and synthesis

Abstract Trait anxiety is a characteristic predisposition to appraise stimuli as threatening and respond with anxiety. Trait anxiety is proposed to serve as a vulnerability factor for greater frequency and intensity of anxiety experiences as well as the development of anxious pathology. Cognitive, behavioral, and physiological components of trait anxiety have been described. Common self-report measures of trait anxiety are reviewed with an emphasis on: components assessed, factor structure, internal consistency, reliability, and construct validity. Measures were selected if instructions ask individuals to endorse items based on their characteristic, rather than a time sensitive, response. Selection criteria resulted in a focus on the following measures: the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Anxiety Inventory-Trait (BAIT), Cognitive Somatic Anxiety Questionnaire (CSAQ), Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scales-Trait (EMAS-T), Four Systems Anxiety Questionnaire (FSAQ), State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA), and the Three Systems Anxiety Questionnaire (TSAQ). While the STAI has the advantage of normative data and frequent use in prior research, newer measures, such as the BAIT and the STICSA, demonstrate greater discriminant validity. The strengths and weaknesses of each of the reviewed measures are highlighted. Recommendations for measure selection and future research are provided.
The Response of Voluntary and Involuntary Female Part-Time Workers to Changes in Labor-Market Conditions

Micro studies in the US find that part-time employees who prefer to work full-time (involuntary part-timers) are more likely to move to full-time employment than those who work part-time voluntarily. These findings are taken as evidence that the subjective classification of involuntary part-timers has a behavioral content. In contrast, the tendency of Israeli involuntary part-timers to move to full-time jobs is similar to that of voluntary ones. Nevertheless, we argue that the raw rate of transition is not a conclusive test and suggest an alternative one: observing the differences in the response of voluntary and involuntary part-timers to changes in labor demand. Using the repeated interviews in Israeli Labor Force Surveys, we create a dataset that covers the period 1991-2004 and find that GDP growth and changes in labor demand increase the probability that involuntary part-timers will move to full-time jobs, but have no effect on voluntary part-timers. Therefore, despite the virtually identical raw transition rates of voluntary and involuntary part-timers, this subjective classification appears to have a significant behavioral content.
Democratización política y contra reforma paramilitar en Colombia

The work examines the phenomenon of the paramilitary in the context of the political modernization begun in 1982 with the peace negotiations between the government and leftist guerrillas, the political opening, and later the decentralization and the first election of mayors in 1987. Examining the emergence of armed groups with the opposite political orientation to that of the guerrilla, this article attempts to locate them in a wider convergence of opposition to any reform that redistributes power and wealth in the rural sector, as a result of a successful negotiation with the insurgents. The article identifies three key actors in the reaction againts political modernization: the drug traffickers, the economic elites and local politicians, largely rooted in the Liberal party, and sectors of the armed forces. Of the aforementioned actors, the analysis gives the role of the armed forces and their conception of the armed conflict a greater explanatory weight in the trajectory that the possible democratization has followed and the visible state dissolution over the last decade in Colombia. Yet, the work has also considered the absence of civil leadership in the political sectors, in particular in the Liberal party, the group that held the reins of power nationally, with parliamentary majorities during the years 1986 to 1998.
Shareholder Taxes in Acquisition Premiums: The Effect of Capital Gains Taxation

We exploit cross-temporal differences in capital gains tax rates to test whether shareholder-level capital gains taxes are associated with higher acquisition premiums for taxable acquisitions. We model acquisition premiums as a function of proxies for the capital gains taxes of target shareholders, taxability of the acquisition, and tax status of the price-setting shareholder as represented by the level of target institutional ownership. Consistent with a lock-in effect for acquisition premiums, results suggest a unique positive association between shareholder capital gains taxes for individual investors and acquisition premiums for taxable acquisitions, which is mitigated by target institutional ownership.
An Analysis of Home Country Trade Effects of Outward Foreign Direct Investment: The Korean Experience with ASEAN, 1987-2002

A debate surrounds the trade impact of outward foreign direct investment (FDI), notably as to whether outward FDI complements or substitutes for a home country's exports. This paper uses a fixed effect panel data econometric model to investigate the experience of Korean outward FDI in the ASEAN-4, during the 1987–2002 period. The results show that FDI stocks in ASEAN do not have discernable trade substituting effects on either Korea's exports or imports. However, it is found that contemporaneous FDI flows marginally contribute to Korea's exports to the region.
Size and Electoral Participation in Local Elections

This paper reviews local election turnout for the period since the 1970s in five European countries: Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It explores especially the relationship between size of municipality and turnout in local elections. The author seeks to explore this issue in the light of Dahl and Tufte's 1973 classic study Size and Democracy (Stanford University Press) which claimed that citizens' motivation to participate is greater in small governmental units than in large ones. This study confirms the Dahl and Tufte hypothesis, in that turnout is consistently higher over time in small municipalities in all the countries reviewed, although the strength of the relationship varies between the different countries. The paper also shows that other factors, such as the type of electoral system used or whether voting is compulsory or not, also have an effect on turnout.
The latent reservoir for HIV-1 in resting CD4+ T cells and other viral reservoirs during chronic infection: insights from treatment and treatment-interruption trials

Purpose of reviewAlthough treatment of HIV-1 infection with highly active antiretroviral therapy can decrease virus in the plasma to undetectable levels, it cannot eradicate the infection due to the existence of viral reservoirs. These reservoirs are cell types or anatomic sites in which replication-competent virus persists without significant decay over time. This article reviews several proposed reservoirs for HIV-1 and their clinical significance. Recent findingsRecent advances allow formal genetic delineation of viral reservoirs and compartments. The best-understood reservoir is a small pool of resting memory CD4+ T cells carrying a quiescent form of the HIV-1 genome integrated within active cellular genes. Turnover of these cells is extremely slow, consistent with their function in immunologic memory. Latently infected memory CD4+ cells that become reactivated release replication-competent HIV-1 which can be detected in the plasma and which can restore high levels of viremia if treatment is stopped. This reservoir can store drug-resistant virus if it arises, thereby permanently limiting treatment options. Evidence for other cellular reservoirs, including monocytes and macrophages, and for anatomical reservoirs including the genital tract and the central nervous system, is also discussed. SummaryRecent advances in characterizing cellular and anatomic reservoirs and compartments influence approaches to antiretroviral treatment, the management of antiretroviral resistance, and potential eradication strategies. The study of long-lived viral reservoirs is critical to the understanding of chronic HIV-1 infection and to the ongoing search for a cure.
Does trade regionalism increase stock market segmentation within a trading bloc

Whether trade regionalism remains a stumbling block to economic globalization remains a debatable issue. This paper investigates the impact of trade regionalism on stock market segmentation for the case of AFTA, EU and NAFTA. We exploit the pricing error of the trading-bloc capital asset pricing model (TB-CAPM) as an indicator for stock market segmentation based on Akdogan (1992) and Adler and Qi (2003). We use intra-trade ratio as the indicator for trade regionalism. Controlling for other determinants for market integration, evidence is found that trade regionalism helps to explain stock market segmentation in EU and NAFTA, which are both dominated by developed countries. For NAFTA, the higher the intra-trade ratio the lower the degree of market segmentation within the trading bloc. For EU however, the intra-trade ratio contributes to higher stock market segmentation.
Coordination between rib cage muscles and diaphragm during quiet breathing in humans.

The pattern of activation of the scalenes and the parasternal intercostal muscles was studied in relation to the pattern of rib cage and abdominal motion during various respiratory maneuvers in the tidal volume range in five normal humans. Electromyograms (EMG) of the scalenes and parasternal intercostals were recorded with bipolar needle electrodes, and changes in abdominal and rib cage displacement were measured using linearized magnetometers. The scalenes and parasternal intercostals were always active during quiet breathing, and their pattern of activation was identical; in both muscles the EMG activity usually started together with the beginning of inspiration, increased in intensity as inspiration proceeded, and persisted into the early part of expiration. In addition, like the parasternal activity the scalene inspiratory activity persisted until the tidal volume was trivial, increased during tidal inspirations performed with the rib cage alone, and was nearly abolished during diaphragmatic isovolume maneuvers. However, attempts to perform tidal inspiration with the diaphragm alone, while causing an increase in parasternal EMG activity, were associated with a marked reduction or a suppression of scalene EMG activity and a reduced substantially distorted rib cage expansion. In particular, the upper rib cage was then moving paradoxically. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
European Common Transport Policy and Short‐Sea Shipping: Empirical Evidence Based on Modal Choice Models

Abstract This article aims to find the determinants of mode choice decisions for Spanish full lorry and full container loads shipments to the rest of Europe in four productive sectors: agroindustry, ceramic tiles, motor vehicle parts and household appliances. To this end exhaustive fieldwork was carried out and a database constructed, including 507 observations collected from transport decision‐makers. A binary logit is used to estimate a modal choice model where the two modes considered are road transport and Short‐Sea Shipping. The estimation of the model stresses the importance of a politico‐economic evaluation of how to modify the modal split, paying particular attention to the role that can be attributed to a series of variables going beyond cost and time, which address the increasing complexity of sectorial logistics chains.