Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial Mediators of a Walking Intervention Among African American Women

Many Americans are sedentary and would reduce their disease risk if they increased their levels of physical activity to 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week. This descriptive exploratory study addresses how to maximize adherence to a physical activity prescription. A sample of 14 older African American women enrolled in a walking intervention study participated in three focus-group discussions of barriers to and facilitators of walking. Focus groups were audiotaped, transcribed, and examined by three nurse researchers using analytic induction, content analysis, and grounded theory techniques. Women who participated in the focus-group discussions identified lack of family support, perceived or real family obligations, personal health status, and neighborhood safety as factors influencing adherence to physical activity. A necessary component of successful walking maintenance was the confidence and support of the woman's family. The most compelling reason for continued walking in this group was to help others.
DESIGN OF REGULATORS WITH OPTIMAL INITIAL CONDITIONS COMPENSATION USING LMIs

Typically control systems are designed aiming at the specification of parameters of the controller that is usually described by a differential equation. In most cases, the controller is artificially constructed and you can also update their initial conditions. In the design of optimal quadratic regulators to update initial conditions of the optimal controller can significantly improve the performance of the controlled system. In this work is also considered other constraints on the controller design, for example, restrictions on output and entry and also restrictions on the decay rate. A design procedure formulated in the context of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) to update the initial conditions in PI controllers considering also other constraints is presented. The applications of the proposed method for controlling an inverted pendulum and the control of a chemical reaction prove its effectiveness.
Building Strong Brands Through the Management of Integrated Marketing Communications

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is regarded as an important marketing management issue because of increasingly dynamic market conditions, and the impact that this dynamism is having on the effectiveness of traditional marketing communications tools and planning approaches. IMC relates to me strategic management of marketing communications to achieve superior brand performance. This paper uses that Integrated Marketing Audit (Duncan and Moriarty, 1997) as a mechanism to analyse the degree of integration of marketing communications management and link this to measures of brand performance. The research employs the Australian and New Zealand wine industries as a context to consider this relationship. Analysis suggests that a higher degree of integration in marketing communications management results in better brand performance. As a result, managers of wine brands should consider how to adopt IMC principles and review their management of marketing communications.
Representing Time of Day in Circadian Clocks

Positing representations and operations on them as a way of explaining behavior was one of the major innovations of the cognitive revolution. Neuroscience and biology more generally also employ representations in explaining how organisms function and coordinate their behavior with the world around them. In discussions of the nature of representation, theorists commonly differentiate between the vehicles of representation and their content—what they denote. Many contentious debates in cognitive science, such as those pitting neural network models against symbol processing accounts, have focused on the types of vehicles proposed for mental representation and whether they have the appropriate structure to succeed in bearing their contents. Philosophers, in contrast, have focused their debates on content and the particular way in which vehicles might bear content—that is, the process of representing rather than the format of representations. I will offer a novel answer to the question of how it is that a representation has content by focusing on the architecture of representation. My proposal is that representations occur in a particular type of mechanism—one in which a control system regulates a plant—and that we can gain traction on cognitive systems of representation by considering how this works in physical systems more generally.
Consumer attitudes to the use of two dairy technologies

The aim of this postal survey (n = 5,000 : 19.3 per cent response) was to evaluate attitudes to two dairy technologies, bovine somatotrophin (bST) and automatic milking systems (AMS), as part of a wider study of the role of ethical analysis in technology assessment. The survey indicated that awareness of the technologies was associated with the respondents’ attitudes in contrasting ways. Thus, those with greater awareness of bST considered it was less acceptable (p<0.05) while those with more awareness of AMS had more positive attitudes towards it (p<0.05). The use of bST was considered to be “ethically acceptable” by only 9.1 per cent of respondents, and 59.7 per cent believed bST should not be licensed for use in the EU, whereas 38.3 per cent considered AMS use to be “ethically acceptable”. Respondents also identified labelling and animal welfare as important issues. Thus, respondents differentiated between “acceptable or unacceptable” aspects of the technologies rather than simply expressing general attitudes to biotechnologies.
Immunoglobulin classes in the hen's egg: Their segregation in yolk and white

Hen's egg yolk contains at least two antigen‐binding subclasses of IgG, derived from the hen serum and transmitted to the chick. IgM and IgA, absent in yolk and in newly hatched chick serum, were detected in the white of unembryonated eggs, in the amniotic fluid of embryonating eggs and in the digestive tract of 19‐day embryos, which also contained IgG. The dual mode of transfer found for maternal Ig of different classes in the fowl is compared with the transfer of maternal immunity in mammals.
Attitudes Toward Local and National Government Expressed over Chinese Social Media

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Preface This report describes a psycholinguistic analysis of social media intended to explore how social media can provide a leading-edge perspective on how the Chinese public feels regarding domestic political issues (e.g., environment, food safety, local versus national government). The overarching purpose of the project was to understand the content and tone of messages transmitted via social media where those topics were being discussed. This initial exploration of Chinese social media also describes a methodology for analyzing Chinese social media, possibilities and challenges, required tools and steps, and comparisons with English-language social media. This research should be of interest to policymakers interested in public opinion regarding different levels of government and to researchers who wish to explore Chinese-language social media. The RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy (CAPP) is part of International Programs at the RAND Corporation. CAPP provides analysis on political, social, economic, and technological developments in and around the Asia Pacific. Through research and analysis, CAPP helps iv Attitudes Toward Government Expressed over Chinese Social Media public and private decisionmakers solve problems, tackle challenges, and identify ways to make society safer, smarter, and more prosperous. For more information on the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, see www.rand. org/international_programs/capp or contact the director (contact information is provided on the web page). Summary Social media are an increasingly common means of political expression. Analysis of them may help explain public opinion and perceptions of political events and movements. Psycholinguistic research— research on what language can reveal about psychological states, such as attitudes and emotions—has yielded insight on public opinion and mood during political events in Iran and Hong Kong. …
Does Nitrous Oxide Affect the Hemodynamic Effects of Anesthesia Induction with Propofol?

Anesthesia was induced in 20 patients, ASA physical status I and II, with either propofol (2.5 mg·kg−1), vecuronium (100 μg·kg−1), and 100% oxygen (Group A), or with equal doses of propofol and vecuronium hut with 70% nitrous oxide in oxygen (Group B). All patients were premedicated with lorazepam 2 mg orally. In both groups systolic arterial pressure decreased after 3 minutes (P<0.05) due to decreases in cardiac output and stroke volume (P<0.05). Systemic vascular resistance in both groups did not change immediately after administration of propofol but increased (P<0.05) following intubation. Addition of nitrous oxide did not alter hernodynamic parameters associated with propofol induction.
Aspects of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM): conceptual framework and empirical example

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to describe and illustrate aspects of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). Design/methodology/approach – The terms of first‐, second‐ and n‐order supply chains are introduced. A first‐order supply chain denotes that a substantial part of it is based on the use of non‐renewable and non‐recycled resources, while the following n‐order ones (e.g. second‐order) are based on a larger share of renewable and/or recycled resources. The conceptual discussion goes across industries, but the empirical example is limited to the clothing industry.Findings – One aspect addressed is that first‐order supply chains of brand new clothing go beyond the traditional point of consumption. Another aspect raised is that second‐ and n‐order supply chains should be considered in business practices from the point of origin in the first‐order supply chains in order to enhance corporate efforts of SSCM.Research limitations/implications – The dilemma with most of the current research and l.
Strategizing industry structure: the case of open systems in a low-tech industry.

Open systems strategy enables a sponsor to diffuse its technology and promotes standardization in an industry. However, this strategy has been studied in high-tech settings. We hypothesize that, in a non-high-tech industry, a sponsor giving access to its technical knowledge may impact industry structure. Based on a survey of the U.S. tabletop role-playing game (RPG) industry, our results highlight that the introduction of an open system in a sector creates an entry induction phenomenon and that these new entrants adopt more readily the open system than incumbents. Moreover, the average size of the firms in the industry decreases due to vertical specialization. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamic Analysis of Brand and Regional Reputation: The Case of Wine*

Abstract Globalization has created an international wine market and global brands. However, consumers continue to regard regional origin as a dominant criterion in their wine buying decisions. Indicators of collective regional reputation as well as individual producer (or brand) reputation guide consumers in their buying decisions. We measure regional and brand reputation indicators for 27 growing regions around the world. Regional reputation is based on a region's overall quality performance through time. Positive and negative brand reputation based on relative regional peer performance is a distinct feature of this empirical application. Noting competing as well as common interest among regional producers, we hypothesize that wines from producers with a high quality reputation rely more on their own strengths and will depend less on their region's reputation and vice versa. We also test whether this assertion is valid over time covering six recent vintages. We apply a hedonic model to measure the significance of these regional and brand reputation indicators in determining wine prices. Our model largely confirms our hypothesis, but it also suggests that for some regions (Germany and New Zealand), high quality brands rely heavily on overall regional reputation. In other regions (including Napa and Sonoma Valley), high reputation brands seem to lose their strength and start to rely on regional reputation. Regions holding on to their strong individual brand reputations include the Rhone Valley, Spain, and Bordeaux. The analysis sheds light on how regional and producer brands are performing as wine markets mature in terms of global branding and consumers becoming more knowledgeable about wine regions, quality, and reputation. (JEL Classification: D4, L1, Q13)
Staurosporine Induces Astrocytic Phenotypes and Differential Expression of Specific PKC Isoforms in C6 Glial Cells

Abstract: In this study we examined the effects of staurosporine, a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), on the differentiation of C6 glial cells and on the expression and cellular distribution of specific PKC isoforms. Staurosporine reduced cell proliferation and induced distinctive changes in the morphological appearance of the cells to that characteristic of cells exhibiting astrocytic phenotypes. The differentiative effect of staurosporine was further indicated by the increased expression of two proteins related to astrocytic phenotypes, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and glutamine synthetase. Thus, staurosporine induced a dose‐dependent increase both in GFAP immunoreactivity and in the activity and protein levels of glutamine synthetase. Staurosporine also induced a decrease in the expression of PKC‐β2 and an increase in that of PKC‐γ. In addition, it induced translocation of PKC‐ε from the membrane to the cytosol, whereas no differences were observed in the distribution of the other PKC isoforms. The results of our study indicate that staurosporine induced astrocytic phenotypes in glial cells and that changes in the expression and cellular distribution of these PKC isoforms may be related to astrocytic differentiation.
A High-Speed Energy-Efficient Segmented Prequantize and Bypass DAC for SAR ADCs

This brief presents an energy-efficient high-speed digital-to-analog converter structure that is implemented in a 10-bit 150-MS/s successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). To reduce energy consumption and improve ADC linearity, a segmented prequantize and bypass architecture is proposed to avoid unnecessary switching of high-weight capacitors based on the results of prequantization. To eliminate possible conversion error caused by parasitic capacitance and provide redundancy, two extra capacitors are inserted. A prototype 10-bit 150-MS/s SAR ADC with the proposed architecture is implemented in a standard 65-nm CMOS technology. According to the simulation, the ADC achieves a spurious-free dynamic range of 83.64 dB and an effective number of bits of 9.52 bits with only 1.20 mW power consumption at a 1.2-V supply, resulting in a figure of merit of 10.9 fJ/conversion-step.
Meeting Relationship-Marketing Goals Through Social Media: A Conceptual Model for Sport Marketers

Sport industry marketers have long understood the importance of nurturing customer relationships. The new challenge is how best to face the shifts in customer relationship marketing posed by sports organizations and proactive consumers, or “prosumers. ” In this article, the elements of the relationship-building process are presented with a focus on communication, interaction, and value, concepts identified in Gronroos’s (2004) relationship-marketing process model. An expanded version of Gronroos’s model is developed to include prosumers and to describe the interactions that occur through social-media exchanges. The value of specific social-media tools and Web 2.0 technologies in helping sport marketers meet their relationship-marketing goals is also discussed. Finally, directions for future research employing the expanded model are suggested.
Relationship between Individual Investor Sentiment with its Volatility and Returns of Small-Cap Stocks

Due to the irrational behavior of individual investors have a significant impact on the stock market, and Chinese stock market with inexperienced individual investors as the main body, our individual investor sentiment may play a more important role than in Western countries in the stock trading process. Therefore, this paper use ARMA-GARCH model to examine the relationship between the investor sentiment along its volatility and the small-cap stocks, which are individually described by newly opened stock trading accounts and the CSI 500. The results show that: The individual investor behavior exhibits a short-term ARCH effects and small-cap stocks exhibit short-term gain inertia; the high number of newly opened stock trading accounts responses to high small-cap stocks yields and display a "spillover effect" to market return; using newly opened stock trading accounts as individual investor sentiment index has great explanatory power to small-cap stocks in China.
Plastic Financial Fraud In The Most Populated Black Africa; Nigeria:The Mitigation Based-On One-Time Password

The increase in the use of plastic payment cards in developing nations would surely lead to more Plastic fraud, Thus, there is a there is a need to develop modern more secure systems that could be used to enhance the security of the inherent plastic cards being used today. This project proposes a system that uses the One-Time Password technology to prevent plastic fraud. The project aims at the risk associated with the current use of plastic card increases. The design and the implementation of the One-Time Password serves as an additional means of authentication to the already in use static PIN. The project also provides recommendation to both banks and customers in other to make the use of plastic payment card more secure, as these cards will become more common with introduction of the cashless economy policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Investigating the Impact of the Implementation of a Legal Practice Management System on Employee Productivity at a Small Law Firm

This paper focuses on the impacts of the implementation of a software package [the Legal Practice Management System (LPMS)] to support the operation and management of a legal practice on employee productivity. The focal organization is a law firm in Thailand employing thirty-two people, which has been facing various business challenges from both internal and external factors. This Information Technology-enabled business process was identified as the key organizational development intervention to address some of the existing organizational challenges. The implementation of the LPMS was carried out in eight months. The researcher developed the 6As Implementation Framework, which is a combination of the Appreciative Inquiry principle and Socio-Technology Theory (STS). It was used as the Implementation Framework for this project. A series of intervention activities were conducted throughout the implementation period to align the socio structure with the technical structure of the system in order to minimize any resistance to the changes. The post implementation results show significant improvement in the area of employee productivity, specifically a reduction in time when searching and managing documentation, increasing accuracy and visibility in managing everyone’s calendar and schedule, and mitigating risks losing documents. Additionally, employees have been empowered to be more responsive to client queries through a centralized and on-line information system with minimum waiting time.
Improving Patient Satisfaction in Health Services: An Application At Dumlupinar University Kutahya Evliya Celebi Education & Research Hospital

The aim of this study is to reveal the factors in improving patient satisfaction at health institutions. In line with this aim, the effect of service quality perceptions and corporate image on patient satisfaction was analysed through the data acquired from 307 patients at Dumlupinar University Kutahya Evliya Celebi Education & Research Hospital using multiple regression model. Moreover, the patients’ perceptions about service quality dimensions were also evaluated through the same data. As a result of the analyses, it was determined that the highest perceptions of the patients about service quality dimensions turned out to be in tangibles and reliability dimensions. On the other hand, it was also determined that perceived service quality and corporate image are effective on patient satisfaction. The results of this study are a guide for public hospitals to increase their service presentation quality and to develop their corporate image. These improvements will increase customer satisfaction and thus enable public hospitals to be preferred more. Key Words: Perceived service quality, corporate image, patient satisfaction, regression analysis
Motion Perception: A Color-Contingent Aftereffect

When observers who watched repeated alternations of a red contracting spiral and green expanding spiral were later shown stationary spirals, red and a green the red stationary spiral appeared to be expanding and the green stationary spiral appeared to be contracting. These color-contingent motion after effects complement reports of motion-contingent color aftereffects and suggest that both may reflect adaptation of detectors specific to color and motion.
Targeted suppression of Has2 mRNA in mouse cumulus cell–oocyte complexes by adenovirus‐mediated short‐hairpin RNA expression

RNA interference (RNAi) is an effective tool for studying gene function in oocytes, but no studies have targeted somatic cells of primary cultured cumulus cell–oocyte complexes (COCs). This is probably due to difficulty in introducing RNAi‐inducing molecules, such as a short‐hairpin RNA (shRNA) gene, into COCs by commonly used transfection reagents. We therefore tested whether a developmental process of intact COCs could be suppressed by adenovirus‐mediated shRNA expression. Has2, encoding hyaluronan synthase 2, was selected as the target transcript, because the process of cumulus expansion depends upon expression of Has2 mRNA and this process is easily evaluated in vitro. Intact COCs were infected with replication‐incompetent adenoviruses containing an expression sequence of shRNA targeting either Has2 (Has2 shRNA) or a control transcript not expressed in cumulus cells, and the effects on epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐stimulated cumulus expansion were determined. Has2 shRNA expression suppressed Has2 mRNA levels in COCs by more than 70%, without affecting expression levels of Ptgs2, Ptx3, Tnfaip6 mRNAs, which are also required for cumulus expansion, or other transcripts not related to expansion. Interestingly, levels of Areg and Ereg mRNAs were decreased in COCs expressing Has2 shRNA when compared with those in controls, while Btc mRNA levels remained unaffected. Furthermore, the degree of cumulus expansion by Has2 shRNA‐expressing COCs was significantly less than that of controls. Thus adenovirus‐mediated introduction of shRNA produces specific gene silencing and a phenotype in intact COCs, providing proof of principle that this method will be a helpful tool for understanding mechanisms of COC development. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 76: 537–547, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.