Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of “Forgiving” Introductions on the Reporting of Sensitive Behavior in Surveys The Role of Social Desirability Response Style and Developmental Status

The use of "forgiving" introductions is generally recommended for survey questions about sensitive behavior. However, research results on the effectiveness of this technique are inconsistent. This study tested whether the effectiveness of forgiving introductions depends on individual differences in respondents’ social desirability response style (SDRS) and developmental status. In an online survey among 3,802 respondents aged 12 to 89 years, we conducted an experiment with a one-factor (forgiving introduction vs. no forgiving introduction) between-subjects design. Use of sexual media content was our target sensitive behavior. Including a forgiving introduction had no main effect on the reporting of sensitive behavior overall, but depended on respondents’ SDRS: when a forgiving introduction was included in the questions, respondents high in SDRS reported more sensitive behavior than did respondents low in SDRS. This effect further depended on respondents’ developmental status. Forgiving introductions increased the reporting of sensitive behavior among adolescents and emerging adults (i.e., 12- to 25-year-olds) high in SDRS, but caused little differences in the reporting of such behavior among adults (i.e., people older than 25).
Left Ventricular Function in Patients with Rheumatic Mitral Stenosis

The most common pathophysiologic cause of Mitral Stenosis (MS) is rheumatic disease [1]. Generally Left Ventricular (LV) systolic function is well preserved in isolated MS. LV chamber typically is normal or small. However, coexisting Mitral Regurgitation (MR), aortic valve disease, ischaemic heart disease, systemic hypertension, cardiomyopathy all may be responsible for elevation of Left Ventricular End Diastolic Pressure (LVEDP) [2]. Left Ventricular (LV) dysfunction has been described in pure Mitral Stenosis (MS), which may be a due to change in interaction between right and left ventricles, myocardial fibrosis or a chronic decrease in preload [3]. Even with normal ejection fraction (indicating preserved global left ventricular function), there can be impairment in long-axis function (measured by tissue Doppler echocardiography) [4]. Altered LV long-axis movement has been shown to be a sensitive indicator of early myocardial dysfunction. Atrial fibrillation has shown to cause impairment of LV function. Pulsed-wave Doppler tissue velocities have been proven to be a good tool for assessment of long-axis ventricular shortening and lengthening. In the echocardiographical assessment of LV function, the Ejection Fraction (EF), Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI), Doppler strain, and 2D strain have been widely used [5]. EF is the most widely used index of contractile function, but due to the visual component, assessment of endocardial excursion is subjective and has high inter-observer variability [6]. TDI and Doppler strain are characterized by limitations of angle dependence, limited spatial resolution and deformation analysis in one dimension [7]. 2D strain is a novel technique which evaluates LV systolic functions more objectively and quantitatively, and does not have the limitations seen in EF, TDI, and Doppler strain; thus, it has become more commonly used in recent years [8]. In the diagnosis of LV dysfunction due to MS, some studies have shown EF, TDI, and Doppler strain to be useful however there is paucity of data. There are also very few studies combining both conventional and 2D strain echo for evaluation of LV systolic function after successful Percutaneous Balloon Mitral Valvotomy (PBMV). There are also lack of evidences comparing LV systolic function before and after the above-mentioned procedure in patients with severe rheumatic MS.
Sovereign Defaults and How to Handle Them. Global Economic Order vs. National Economic Policy Interests on the Examples of Greece, Hungary and Ukraine

This study shows that since the Keynes-White dispute in the middle of the 20th century, the global economic policy thinking is clearly determined by White’s views up until today. In the global monetary system, debt restructuring solutions are subordinated to the global economic order, and not to national economy policies, as shown by the recent examples of Greece, Hungary and Ukraine. According to this thinking, basically the debtor is held liable for imbalance and over-indebtedness. Obviously, the system cannot solve balance of payments problems between countries and the ensuing debt crises. The free movement of goods and capital is given an absolute priority. We show that out of the elements of the Keynesian system, only the introduction of creditor’s liability as an instrument and the establishment of some sort of a supranational debt restructuring forum were proposed as a comprehensive solution after the 2008 crisis, besides some small-scale technical suggestions (e.g. the CAC). The reform proposals have not brought about any significant change in the management of sovereign defaults. In the euro area, after the 2010 sovereign crisis, the emphasis was laid on establishing the institutional background for the short-term financing of countries in debt crisis, rather than on genuine institutional reform of debt restructurings. And even in the worst of the crisis, the indebted countries are asked to implement more fiscal constraints and privatisation programmes as a prerequisite for further financing. Large international banks and investors and their home countries have no interest in institutional reforms: sovereign default remains a slow process with uncertain outcomes and even enormous costs. In our opinion, the institutional system of sovereign debt crisis management can only be reformed by the massive support of already existing international organisations. It would be a big step forward if IMF/EU abandoned their previous practice of protecting private investors and provided better safeguards for the interest of indebted countries and/or their own taxpayers.
Observations of an Electron Diffusion Region in Symmetric Reconnection with Weak Guide Field

The Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft encountered an electron diffusion region (EDR) in a symmetric reconnection in the Earth’s magnetotail. The EDR contained a guide field of about 2 nT, which was 13% of the magnetic field in the inflow region, and its thickness was about 2 local electron inertial lengths. Intense energy dissipation, a super-Alfvénic electron jet, electron nongyrotropy, and crescent-shaped electron velocity distributions were observed in association with this EDR. These features are similar to those of the EDRs in asymmetric reconnection at the dayside magnetopause. Electrons gained about 50% of their energy from the immediate upstream to the EDR. Crescent electron distributions were seen at the boundary of the EDR, while highly curved magnetic field lines inside the EDR may have gyrotropized the electrons. The EDR was characterized by a parallel current that was carried by antiparallel drifting electrons that were probably accelerated by a parallel electric field along the guide field. These results reveal the essential electron physics of the EDR and provide a significant example of an EDR in symmetric reconnection with a weak guide field.
How Environmental Beliefs Affect Consumer Willingness to Pay for the Greenness Premium of Low-Carbon Agricultural Products in China: Theoretical Model and Survey-based Evidence

The increase in the supply of low-carbon agricultural products is crucial to reduce carbon emissions, but the production of such products incurs additional input costs and thus the crux of the low-carbon agricultural products market development lies in how such cost can be shared in a reasonable manner. The increase of consumer willingness to pay and the premium level that consumers would pay for green products hold the key to address this challenge. For that reason, this paper first constructs a behavioral game model to explore how environmental beliefs would affect consumer willingness to pay for the greenness premium. Then, the paper proceeds with empirical analyses on factors influencing consumer willingness to pay for the greenness premium by using micro-survey data of Chinese consumers when facing the choices of low-carbon rice in the cities of central China. The empirical research suggests that, although the average greenness premium that Chinese consumers are willing to pay for low-carbon agricultural products is low, the greenness premium will be stronger when consumers have higher environmental beliefs. We also find the impacts of environmental beliefs on the willingness to pay as well as the greenness premium levels that consumers are willing to pay for low-carbon agricultural products increase with education attainment and family income, but do not change with age. Findings in this study carry several important policy implications. To encourage green consumption that facilitates green production, the government should devote attempts to promote consumers’ environmental beliefs and also apply differentiated public policy that targeting at different types of consumers.
Robotic Micromanipulation: Fundamentals and Applications

Robotic micromanipulation is a relatively young field. However, after three decades of development and evolution, the fundamental physics; techniques for sensing, actuation, and control; tool sets and systems; and, more importantly, a research community are now in place. This article reviews the fundamentals of robotic micromanipulation, including how micromanipulators and end effectors are actuated and controlled, how remote physical fields are utilized for micromanipulation, how visual servoing is implemented under an optical microscope, how force is sensed and controlled at the micro- and nanonewton levels, and the similarities and differences between robotic manipulation at the micro- and macroscales. We also review representative milestones over the past three decades and discuss potential future trends of this field.
General Purpose Multimedia Dataset-GarageBand 2008

This document describes a general purpose multimedia dataset to be used in cross-media machine learning problems. In more detail we describe the genre taxonomy applied at http://www.garageband. com, from where the dataset was collected, and how the taxonomy have been fused into a more human understandable taxonomy. Finally, a description of various features extracted from both the audio and text are presented.
Title : Recommendations on Trajectory Selection in Flight Planning Based on Weather Uncertainty Author ( s ) :

The chaotic nature of the atmosphere combined with limitations in modelling and an insufficient number of observations means that inaccuracies continue to exist even in the most state-of-the-art Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) systems. In the world of aviation, Trajectory Prediction (TP) is currently mostly based on deterministic meteorological forecasts and thus does not take into account the probabilistic information available from an Ensemble Prediction System (EPS). One of the main aims of the IMET project is to quantify the predictability of flight planning systems by exploring the impact on TP output of ensemble weather forecast (EWF) generated by the EPS. In this paper, we use Probabilistic TP (PTP) defined by running a TP system n times with n being the number of members in the EWF. This allows an ensemble of trajectories to be created, which provides uncertainty information on flight parameters such as flight duration, and trip fuel cost. The information can be used to support decision making regarding the predicted trajectory. We demonstrate that the three state-of-the-art EPSs used within the IMET project are all capable of capturing relevant weather events observed from a large data sample of AMDAR measurements, thirty-six hours in advance of take-off. Index Terms — Trajectory Prediction, Uncertainty, Flight Planning, Ensemble Weather Forecast, Ensemble Prediction System
Waste Management System for Batteries

We live in a technology driven era where each day new gadgets improve the way we live our lives. Many resources are being spent on building these devices that often turn obsolete overnight. Taking into account that these electronics have a long-term impact on the environment, a waste management system must be embedded in the electronic product lifecycle. In this paper, we propose a monitoring system for recycling batteries from electronic equipment and devices. This solution covers specific waste management issues to manage and reduce battery waste and to recover valuable materials and components. A solution for the continuous monitoring of each battery waste container is also proposed. The solution involves the storage of all information regarding the recycling process, such as pickup date and time, collector’s name, quantity, and location. The research is also extended for smartphone usage. This is an important feature for collectors who need to access data in real time from any location. The mobile application directly reads the weight of battery waste, automatically saves the date and time, and stores the location along with any other useful information.
The Effect of Negative Feedback on Positive Beliefs in Self-Deception

In the present study, we applied the forward-looking paradigm to examine how positive beliefs appear in self-deception and to further reveal the influence of negative feedback on positive beliefs to decrease self-deception. In Experiment 1, the answer group (with answer hints provided below the test material) and the control group (without answer hints) completed two tests. Participants estimated their Test 1 scores, predicted their performance on the upcoming Test 2 without answer hints, and completed Test 2. Their actual scores on the two tests were recorded. The results showed that the answer group predicted higher Test 2 scores than the control group, but the two groups did not differ in their actual scores. These results showed that the answer group had positive self-deception. In Experiment 2, the two groups were given negative feedback (vs. no feedback) after Test 1, and the changes between their estimated scores on Test 1 and their predicted score and actual score on Test 2 were measured. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in the estimated scores and the predicted score between the two groups under the feedback condition compared with the negative feedback condition. These findings demonstrated that the effectiveness of the forward-looking paradigm can activate participants’ positive beliefs and cheat behaviors by providing the answers to induce self-deception, and negative feedback can decrease the occurrence of self-deception by reducing the positive beliefs of individuals and improving self-awareness to prevent or eliminate the negative impact of self-deception.
Overexpression of Arabidopsis Nucleotide-Binding and Leucine-Rich Repeat Genes RPS2 and RPM1(D505V) Confers Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance in Rice

The nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors play important roles in innate plant immunity. The activation of NLRs is specifically induced by their cognate effectors released from pathogens. Autoactive NLRs are expected to confer broad-spectrum resistance because they do not need cognate effectors to activate their immune responses. In this study, we demonstrated that the NLR genes RPS2 and RPM1(D505V) from Arabidopsis were autoactive in Oryza sativa and conferred broad-spectrum resistance to fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), and pest brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens Stål). These results revealed that interfamily transfer of dicot NLRs to monocot species could be functional. The transgenic plants displayed early and strong induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), callose deposition, and expression of defense-related genes after challenged with M. oryzae. The transcriptome analysis showed that the expressions of some defense-related genes were primed to adapt the transformed autoactive NLRs in the transgenic plants. This study indicates that autoactive NLRs are a promising resource for breeding crops with broad-spectrum resistance and provides new insights for engineering disease resistance.
Epigenetic Analysis in Human Neurons: Considerations for Disease Modeling in PD

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder next to Alzheimer’s disease. Most PD cases are considered to be sporadic and despite considerable scientific effort, the underlying cause(s) still remain(s) enigmatic. In particular, it is unknown to which extent epigenetic alterations contribute to the pathophysiology of this devastating disorder. This is partly due to the fact that appropriate PD models are not yet available. Moreover, epigenetic patterns and mechanisms are species specific and murine systems reflect only a few of the idiosyncrasies of human neurons. For several years now, patient-specific stem cell-derived neural and non-neural cells have been employed to overcome this limitation allowing the analysis and establishment of humanized disease models for PD. Thus, several studies tried to dissect epigenetic alterations such as aberrant DNA methylation or microRNA patterns using lund human mesencephalic cell lines or neurons derived from (patient-specific) induced pluripotent stem cells. These studies demonstrate that human neurons have the potential to be used as model systems for the study of epigenetic modifications in PD such as characterizing epigenetic changes, correlating epigenetic changes to gene expression alterations and hopefully using these insights for the development of novel therapeutics. However, more research is required to define the epigenetic (age-associated) landscape of human in vitro neurons and compare these to native neurons before they can be established as suitable models for epigenetic studies in PD. In this review, we summarize the knowledge about epigenetic studies performed on human neuronal PD models, and we discuss advantages and current limitations of these (stem cell-derived) neuronal models for the study of epigenetic alterations in PD.
Inhibition of Human Neutrophil Extracellular Trap (NET) Production by Propofol and Lipid Emulsion

Uncontrolled bacteremia is a common and life threatening condition that can lead to sepsis and septic shock with significant morbidity and mortality. Neutrophil granulocytes, the most abundant phagocytic leukocyte of the innate immune system, play an essential role in capturing and killing invading pathogens. Their antimicrobial repertoire includes the formation of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs), chromatin-based, web-like structures of DNA that facilitate the capture and killing of bacteria. In sepsis, however, it has been suggested that the uncontrolled release of NETs worsens disseminated coagulation and promotes venous thrombosis. Here, we describe how clinically relevant concentrations of the commonly used sedative propofol as well as a lipid composition similar to the propofol carrier impair NET production by human neutrophils. Drugs commonly administered in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) may impact the inflammatory response to either worsen or improve clinical outcomes and may therefore be considered for additional therapeutic effects if clinical studies confirm such findings.
Reliance of deep-sea benthic macrofauna on ice-derived organic matter highlighted by multiple trophic markers during spring in Baffin Bay, Canadian Arctic

Benthic organisms depend primarily on seasonal pulses of organic matter from primary producers. In the Arctic, declines in sea ice due to warming climate could lead to changes in this food supply with as yet unknown effects on benthic trophic dynamics. Benthic consumer diets and food web structure were studied in a seasonally ice-covered region of Baffin Bay during spring 2016 at stations ranging in depth from 199 to 2,111 m. We used a novel combination of highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) lipid biomarkers and stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N) to better understand the relationship between the availability of carbon sources in spring on the seafloor and their assimilation and transfer within the benthic food web. Organic carbon from sea ice (sympagic carbon [SC]) was an important food source for benthic consumers. The lipid biomarker analyses revealed a high relative contribution of SC in sediments (mean SC% ± standard deviation [SD] = 86% ± 16.0, n = 17) and in benthic consumer tissues (mean SC% ± SD = 78% ± 19.7, n = 159). We also detected an effect of sea-ice concentration on the relative contribution of SC in sediment and in benthic consumers. Cluster analysis separated the study region into three different zones according to the relative proportions of SC assimilated by benthic macrofauna. We observed variation of the benthic food web between zones, with increases in the width of the ecological niche in zones with less sea-ice concentration, indicating greater diversity of carbon sources assimilated by consumers. In zones with greater sea-ice concentration, the higher availability of SC increased the ecological role that primary consumers play in driving a stronger transfer of nutrients to higher trophic levels. Based on our results, SC is an important energy source for Arctic deep-sea benthos in Baffin Bay, such that changes in spring sea-ice phenology could alter benthic food-web structure.
Comprehensive Quantitative Spatiotemporal Gait Analysis Identifies Gait Characteristics for Early Dementia Subtyping in Community Dwelling Older Adults

Background: Recent studies associated gait patterns with cognitive impairment stages. The current study examined the relation between dementia type and spatiotemporal gait characteristics under different walking conditions in pre and mild neurocognitive disorder stage. Methods: Community-dwelling older adults (age 50+) with memory complaints consulting a memory clinic underwent, at baseline and during follow-up (every 4 months), a standard dementia assessment and a comprehensive spatiotemporal gait analysis [walking on an electronic walkway at usual pace (UP) with and without a counting-backwards (CW) or animal-reciting dual-task (AW), at fast (FP) and at slow (SP) pace]. At baseline the participants were categorized according to the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. At the end of the study, the dementia diagnosis was used to stratify the categories in three outcome groups: developed “No-dementia,” “AD+FTD” (grouping Alzheimer's or Fronto-temporal dementia) or “VascD+LBD” dementia (grouping Vascular dementia or Lewy body dementia). The gait characteristics were compared per category in paired groups. Sub-analyzing in the ≥70-years-old participants evaluated the age effect. Results: Five hundred and thirty-six participants, age 50-to-95-years old were followed for 31-to-41 months. In the CDR 0, no differences were seen between eventual dementia and no-dementia individuals. In the CDR 0.5, CW dual task cost (DTC) step width was larger in the imminent “AD+FTD” and AW (normalized) gait speed was slower in the future “VascD+LBD” group compared to the no-dementia participants. Slower UP (normalized) gait speed differed the future “VascD+LBD” from the “AD+FTD” individuals. In the CDR 1: Wider steps in UP, SP and CW differed the “VascD+LBD” from the “AD+FTD” group. In the ≥70-years old CDR 0 category, higher AW cycle time variability in the imminent “AD+FTD” dementia group, wider UP step width and higher AW cycle time variability in the “VascD+LBD” group differed them from the no-dementia group up to 3 years before dementia diagnosis. The distinctive gait characteristics between the no-dementia and the imminent dementia groups in CDR 0.5 and CDR 1 remained the same as in the overall group. However, no gait differences were found between “VascD+LBD” and “AD+FTD” groups in the pre-dementia stages. Conclusion: Distinctive spatiotemporal gait characteristics were associated with specific dementia types up to 3 years before diagnosis. The association is influenced by the cognitive stage and age.