Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Housing Needs and Preferences of Generation Y in Malaysia

ABSTRACT In Malaysia, housing providers affect the planning system as housing industry constantly evolves to meet homebuyer needs. Generation Y has exhibited dissimilar housing needs compared to Generation X and Baby Boomer. Thus, housing developers seek to identify the current needs for young homebuyers to avoid experiencing unsold properties. This research aims to identify the fundamental housing needs and psychographic characteristics towards their housing preferences and future planning demands. A quantitative survey was used for collecting data and a statistical analysis was performed to evaluate research outcomes. This research will help local housing developers to understand Generation Y needs and preferences for the future housing demand.
Naltrexone improves quit rates, attenuates smoking urge, and reduces alcohol use in heavy drinking smokers attempting to quit smoking.

BACKGROUND Heavy drinking smokers (HDS) have more difficulty quitting smoking than lighter drinkers or abstainers. The opioid antagonist naltrexone may improve smoking quit rates and reduce alcohol use in drinker-smokers, but its relative efficacy in smokers with a range of drinking patterns is unknown. The current study tested the hypothesis that HDS would show differential benefit of naltrexone versus placebo relative to moderate-to-light or nondrinking smokers in terms of improving smoking outcomes and reducing alcohol consumption. METHODS Adult smokers (N = 315) enrolled in a 12-week, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of 50 mg naltrexone for smoking cessation were categorized into subgroups based upon past 6-month drinking patterns: HDS (n = 69; i.e., averaged ≥2 heavy drinking episodes per month), moderate-to-light drinking smokers (n = 204, i.e., consumed 1 drink up to a maximum of <2 heavy drinking episodes per month on average), or nondrinking smokers (n = 42, no alcohol consumed in the past 6 months). The groups were compared on the main study outcomes of biochemically verified prolonged abstinence quit rates (i.e., no smoking weeks 2 to 12), and smoking urge and alcohol use (drinks/wk) during treatment. RESULTS Naltrexone significantly increased 12-week smoking abstinence rates and decreased smoking urge and alcohol use among HDS, but not moderate-to-light or nondrinking smokers. Mediation analyses in HDS revealed that naltrexone's effect on smoking urge during the first 4 weeks of treatment mediated its effect on quit rates. CONCLUSIONS HDS appear to be particularly sensitive to naltrexone effects on smoking and drinking outcomes. This group may represent an important target for adjunctive treatment with naltrexone to optimize smoking cessation outcomes.
The effect of frequency offset on the multiple antennas receiver initiated busy tone medium access (MARI-BTMA) protocol

Multi-hop ad hoc networks suffer from hidden nodes and exposed nodes. The multiple antennas receiver initiated busy tone medium access (MARI-BTMA) with the MIMO-OFDM transceiver architecture is a promising technique to exploit diversity in the physical layer of broadband wireless communications to achieve better performance in the ad-hoc network. If the channel is asynchronous then this scheme suffers from frequency offset, which results in unfairness and lowers throughput. In this paper, the power leakage from multiple carriers due to the frequency offset is calculated. Varying the carrier sensing threshold level on the busy tone channels is proposed as a way to overcome this problem. The carrier sensing threshold level chosen is a trade-off between the exposed area and the hidden area. The optimal threshold level is derived which minimizes the sum of the exposed node area and the hidden node area. Numerical results show how the total area changes with respect to the frequency offset. The effect of frequency offset, path loss exponent and distance between the transmitter and the receiver on the optimal threshold level and the carrier sensing range are also analyzed
Difference in time to detection: a simple method to differentiate catheter-related from non-catheter-related bloodstream infection in immunocompromised pediatric patients.

Current methods for diagnosis of catheter-related infection (CRI) are cumbersome and may require removal of the central venous catheter (CVC). A prospective study was conducted to validate the difference in time to detection (DTD) of cultures of blood samples obtained simultaneously from a peripheral vein (PV) and from the CVC for differentiation of CRI and non-CRI. During a 15-month period, 9 episodes were categorized as CRI and 24 as non-CRI. The median DTD for patients with CRI was significantly higher than that for patients with non-CRI (457 vs. -4 min; P<.001). The optimum cutoff point for diagnosis of CRI was a DTD of > or =120 min (sensitivity, 88.9%; specificity, 100%). With pretest probability of CRI ranging from 28% to 54%, the positive predictive value of a DTD of > or =120 min for the diagnosis of CRI was 100%; the negative predictive value was 89%-96%. On the basis of findings from this study, which is the largest, to date, to involve pediatric patients with tunneled CVCs and the first to use paired quantitative blood cultures as a "criterion standard," DTD was found to be a simple, reliable tool for diagnosis of CRI in hospitals that use continuously read blood culture systems.
A Hybrid Winding Model of Disc-Type Power Transformers for Frequency Response Analysis

The paper presents a hybrid model of disc-type power transformer winding for frequency response analysis (FRA) based on traveling wave and multiconductor transmission line (MTL) theories. Each disc of a winding is described by traveling wave equations, which are connected to each other in a form of MTL matrix model. This significantly reduces the order of the model with respect to previously established MTL models of transformer winding. The model is applied to frequency response simulation of two single-phase transformers. The simulations are compared with the experimental data and calculated results using lumped parameter and MTL models reported in other publications. It is shown that the model can be used for FRA result interpretation in an extended range of frequencies up to several mega Hertz and resonance analysis under very fast transient overvoltages (VFTOs).
Faculty Members' Lived Experiences with Open Educational Resources

Faculty Members’ Lived Experiences with Open Educational Resources M. Troy Martin Department of Instructional Psychology and Technology, BYU Master of Science The cost of textbooks has continued to increase, and the financial effect on students in higher education is significant. Numerous studies have been done to learn more about student and faculty perceptions toward Open Educational Resources (OER) use. Recent studies confirm that most instructors would use OER in order to alleviate the financial burden placed on students; however, OER adoption rates do not reflect this belief. In my study I sought to better understand what instructors experience when they search for OER. In this phenomenological study, I interviewed faculty who expressed a desire to use OER and to capture their lived experiences of adopting and adapting OER. I would like to better understand what is working well for these faculty and what challenges exist as they seek to find and adopt OER and identify possible solutions that could improve OER adoption rates. I learned that there is a desire to use OER to reduce the financial burden that textbooks impose on students, but that there is very little understanding on where to find quality OER and tools that are needed to adapt it. Future research may focus on ways to improve the process of finding and customizing OER so that it can be an alternative to expensive textbooks.
Delayed risk stratification, to include the response to initial treatment (surgery and radioiodine ablation), has better outcome predictivity in differentiated thyroid cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION After initial treatment, differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients are stratified as low and high risk based on clinical/pathological features. Recently, a risk stratification based on additional clinical data accumulated during follow-up has been proposed. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the predictive value of delayed risk stratification (DRS) obtained at the time of the first diagnostic control (8-12 months after initial treatment). METHODS We reviewed 512 patients with DTC whose risk assessment was initially defined according to the American (ATA) and European Thyroid Association (ETA) guidelines. At the time of the first control, 8-12 months after initial treatment, patients were re-stratified according to their clinical status: DRS. RESULTS Using DRS, about 50% of ATA/ETA intermediate/high-risk patients moved to DRS low-risk category, while about 10% of ATA/ETA low-risk patients moved to DRS high-risk category. The ability of the DRS to predict the final outcome was superior to that of ATA and ETA. Positive and negative predictive values for both ATA (39.2 and 90.6% respectively) and ETA (38.4 and 91.3% respectively) were significantly lower than that observed with the DRS (72.8 and 96.3% respectively, P<0.05). The observed variance in predicting final outcome was 25.4% for ATA, 19.1% for ETA, and 62.1% for DRS. CONCLUSIONS Delaying the risk stratification of DTC patients at a time when the response to surgery and radioiodine ablation is evident allows to better define individual risk and to better modulate the subsequent follow-up.
Measuring Bubble Expectations and Investor Confidence

This paper presents evidence on two types of investor attitudes that change in important ways through time, with important consequences for speculative markets. The paper explores changes in bubble expectations and investor confidence among institutional investors in the U.S. stock market at six-month intervals for the period 1989 to 1998 and for individual investors at the start and end of this period. Based on the results of the questionnaires administered during the period, the author develops specific time-series indicators for each of the following: a speculative bubble (an unstable situation with expectations for a increase in the short term only), a negative speculative bubble (an unstable situation with expectations for a downturn in the short term only), and investor confidence (a feeling that nothing can go wrong). Using the indicators, the author produces indexes indicating the average percentage of the population at a given time with bubble expectations, negative bubble expectations, and investor confidence, respectively.
Treatment options in recurrent ovarian cancer: latest evidence and clinical potential

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in women. Although significant progress has been made in the treatment of OC, the majority of patients experience disease recurrence and receive second-line and sometimes several lines of treatment. Here we review the options available for the treatment of recurrent disease and discuss how different agents are selected, combined and offered in a rationale sequence in the context of multidisciplinary care. We reviewed published work between 1990 and 2013 and meeting abstracts related to the use of chemotherapy and surgery in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. We discuss treatment regimens, efficacy endpoints and safety profiles of the different therapies. Platinum-based drugs are the most active agents and are selected on the basis of a probability of response to retreatment. Nonplatinum-based chemotherapy regimens are usually given in the ‘platinum-resistant’ setting and have a modest effect on outcome. Molecular targeted therapy of ovarian cancer given alone or integrated with chemotherapy is showing promising results. Many patients are now receiving more than one line of therapy for recurrent disease, usually platinum based until platinum resistance emerges. The sequential use of chemotherapy regimens and the incorporation of molecularly targeted treatments, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy, have over the last decade significantly extended the median survival of patients with ovarian cancer.
Longitudinal shrinkage in lower legs: "negative growth" in healthy late-adolescent males.

BACKGROUND/AIMS We examined the final period of tibial growth in late adolescent males. METHODS Forty-one healthy male subjects, aged 15.7 to 19.8 years participated in a study on lower leg length (LLL) growth, body height and weight increments. All subjects were measured and weighed at weekly intervals over a period of one year. Body height was determined by an anthropometer, body weight by conventional scales, and LLL was measured by a hand-held knemometer. The state of maturity of the proximal tibial epiphyses was determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Skeletal maturity was independently assessed by two radiologists. The growth plates were categorized as being open (category I), centrally but not completely fused (category II), or completely fused (category III). RESULTS Our findings demonstrate that in these adolescents, final tibial growth is characterized by longitudinal shrinkage. As shown in the MRI, when the proximal tibial growth plates have fused (i.e., at an age when lower leg growth is commonly believed to have completed), the lower leg of healthy adolescent males begins to shrink with a negative growth rate of -2.4 (SD 2.1) mm/year. CONCLUSION Apart from sporadic observations in anorectic girls, longitudinal shrinkage in LLL has not been previously documented. We assume that the final period of growth includes small reductions in bone length, possibly due to stabilization and rearrangements in the formerly growing cartilaginous tissues.
RGD-CAP (βig-h3) Exerts a Negative Regulatory Function on Mineralization in the Human Periodontal Ligament

In our previous studies, RGD-CAP/βig-h3 was isolated from a fiber-rich fraction of cartilage and was found to have a negative function on mineralization of hypertrophic chondrocytes. However, the expression and biological function of RGD-CAP in the periodontal ligament (PDL) are not known. We hypothesized that RGD-CAP could be expressed in the PDL and regulate its mineralization. To test this, we investigated the expression of RGD-CAP in human PDL and the effects of RGD-CAP on mineralization of cultured PDL cells. RGD-CAP was detected in the human PDL as multimeric proteins greater than 200 kDa. The RGD-CAP mRNA level decreased in cultured PDL cells exposed to 10−8 M dexamethasone or 10−8 M 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 when these steroids increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Furthermore, exogenous RGD-CAP suppressed the ALP activity and bone nodule formation of cultured PDL cells. These findings suggest that RGD-CAP in the PDL modulates the mineralization which affects adjacent alveolar bone metabolism.
The impact of educational mismatch on returns to R&D: evidence from manufacturing in OECD countries

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the effect of educational mismatch of R&D workers on firm's returns to innovation. R&D labour mismatch emerges when R&D workers have competencies different from those required by their occupation providing a contribution to innovation lower than in the case of perfect educational matching. By estimating a knowledge production function on data for 13 manufacturing industries from 16 OECD countries between 2003 and 2011, we find that R&D labour mismatch may cause returns to R&D investment to be between 10 and 15% lower than estimated in the literature. These results are robust to controlling for institutional factors, simultaneity feedbacks and other mis-specification issues. The detrimental effect of the misallocation of R&D labour is found to be stronger in those sectors where R&D activities have greater potential (returns), i.e. high-tech sectors.
Clinical Standardized fMRI Reveals Altered Language Lateralization in Patients with Brain Tumor

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Brain tumors affecting language-relevant areas may influence language lateralization. The purpose of this study was to systematically investigate language lateralization in brain tumor patients using clinical language fMRI, comparing the results with a group of healthy volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-seven strictly right-handed patients with left-hemispheric-space intracranial masses (mainly neoplastic) affecting either the Broca area (n = 19) or Wernicke area (n = 38) were prospectively enrolled in this study. Fourteen healthy volunteers served as a control group. Standardized clinical language fMRI, using visually triggered sentence- and word-generation paradigms, was performed on a 1.5T MR scanner. Semiautomated analyses of all functional data were conducted on an individual basis using BrainVoyager. A regional lateralization index was calculated for Broca and Wernicke areas separately versus their corresponding right-hemisphere homologs. RESULTS: In masses affecting the Broca area, a significant decrease in the lateralization index was found when performing word generation (P = .0017), whereas when applying sentence generation, the decrease did not reach statistical significance (P = .851). Masses affecting the Wernicke area induced a significant decrease of the lateralization index when performing sentence generation (P = .0007), whereas when applying word generation, the decrease was not statistically significant (P = .310). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical language fMRI was feasible for patients with brain tumors and provided relevant presurgical information by localizing essential language areas and determining language dominance. A significant effect of the brain masses on language lateralization was observed, with a shift toward the contralesional, nondominant hemisphere. This may reflect compensatory mechanisms of the brain to maintain communicative abilities.
An algorithm for mining closed weighted sequential patterns with flexing time interval for medical time series data

In this paper, an algorithm for mining the nonredundant closed weighted sequential patterns with flexible time intervals for the medical time series data is proposed. Initially, the sequence weight for each sequence is calculated based on the time interval between the itemsets and subsequently the candidate sequences are generated with flexible time intervals. The next step is, computation of frequent sequential patterns with the aid of proposed support measure and subsequently the frequent sequential patterns are subjected to closure checking process which leads to filter the closed sequential patterns with flexible time intervals. Finally, the proposed methodology produces a necessary sequential patterns which is proved. The proposed methodology constructs closed sequential patterns which are 23.2% lesser than the sequential patterns.
HOW INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS PROMOTE EXPERIMENTATION IN INNOVATION

Individuals are at the heart of innovation, and their innovative behavior is influenced by their ability and willingness to be innovative. Experimentation is a key activity in innovation. An individual's experimentation behavior - the behavior towards designing, executing and learning from experiments - can be seen as a subset of innovative behavior. Yet, previous research has largely overlooked the level of an individual when studying factors influencing experimentation. This paper investigates how characteristics of an individual promote their experimentation behavior. To understand experimentation on the level of an individual, 18 individuals working in five short-term innovation projects adopting experimentation were selected for this explorative study. Data was collected from multiple sources, through action research. The results of the study suggest 12 characteristics of an individual that promote the experimentation behavior of individuals who are involved in experimentation for the first time, in specific ways at the different stages of the experimentation cycle.
Seasonal Variability of the Methacholine Challenge Test

Background. Since the intensity of some variables that influence bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) varies across different seasons of the year, the percentage of positive metacholine challenge test (MCT) is theoretically subjected to seasonal variation. This study has looked at the seasonal variability of MCT among young adults with suspected asthma. Methods. The number of MCT performed and its corresponding proportion of positive results were retrospectively evaluated and compared for different seasons over a 5-year period. Results. Overall 645 subjects (mean age 21.4 ± 2.3 yr) underwent MCT during the study period. Two-hundred nine MCTs (34.2%) were performed in the winter, significantly higher when compared to any other season of the year. Positive MCT (defined as PC20 < 16 mg/mL) was noted in 163 patients (25.2%). The proportion of positive MCTs has shown significant seasonal trend, (p < 0.0001, chi-square test for trend), it was significantly higher in the winter and in the spring (32.2% and 32.4%, respectively) when compared with the summer (13.4%). Conclusions. This study showed a significant seasonal variability for both pattern of referral to MCT and the seasonal prevalence of BHR young adults. These findings probably reflect seasonal variation in the intensity of external stimuli that involve in the pathogenesis of BHR, such as allergens burden and respiratory tract infections across the year. We suggest that interpretation of a positive MCT as predictive of BHR and of asthma should take into account the observed seasonal variability of the test.
ONTOGENY OF B LYMPHOCYTES

Many bursa-equivalent (B) lymphocytes of adult mice bear surface Ig and receptors for C3. The frequency of Ig-bearing cells increases rapidly immediately after birth, but these cells lack complement (C) receptors. Lymphocytes bearing C receptors are not found in the spleens of BALB/c, DBA/2, and C57BL/6 mice until 2 wk of age and do not attain substantial numbers until 3–4 wk of age. In AKR mice, a lag between appearance of Ig-bearing and complement receptor lymphocytes (CRL) is also observed but it is of much shorter duration. AKR mice have a frequency of CRL at 2 wk of age of 28% in comparison to a frequency of 4.8% for DBA/2 mice. The difference in frequency between young and adult mice and between "low" and "high CRL" strains cannot be explained by a nonspecific inability to form rosettes as similar results are obtained with soluble antigen-antibody-complement complexes. Analysis of CRL frequency in (AKR x DBA/2)F1 mice and F1 x parental backcross progeny suggests that two independent genes control the rate of appearance of CRL. Furthermore, the genetic difference in the ontogeny of CRL is recapitulated in the repopulation of the B-lymphocyte line in adult-irradiated mice restored with syngeneic bone marrow. Thus, the "CRL genes" described here appear to control B-cell differentiation throughout life.