Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Continuous Hand Gestures Recognition Technique for Human-Machine Interaction Using Accelerometer and Gyroscope Sensors

Recent advances in smart devices have sustained them as a better alternative for the design of human-machine interaction (HMI), because they are equipped with accelerometer sensor, gyroscope sensor, and an advanced operating system. This paper presents a continuous hand gestures recognition technique that is capable of continuous recognition of hand gestures using three-axis accelerometer and gyroscope sensors in a smart device. To reduce the influence of unstableness of a hand making the gesture and compress the data, a gesture coding algorithm is developed. An automatic gesture spotting algorithm is developed to detect the start and end points of meaningful gesture segments. Finally, a gesture is recognized by comparing the gesture code with gesture database using dynamic time warping algorithm. In addition, a prototype system is developed to recognize the continuous hand gestures-based HMI. With the smartphone, the user is able to perform the predefined gestures and control smart appliances using the Samsung AllShare protocol.
AQUACULTURE, POVERTY IMPACTS AND LIVELIHOODS

Aquaculture is often viewed narrowly as intensive culture of salmon and shrimp to provide high value products for luxury markets and is often associated with environmental degradation. The promotion of aquaculture for rural development has had a poor record in many developing countries, especially in Africa. This paper shows that aquaculture does contribute to the livelihoods of the poor, particularly in areas of Asia where it is traditional practice, although a number of constraints prevent its expansion. Recent adoption of new technology suggests that, with adequate support, aquaculture could also contribute significantly to rural development in countries where it is neither a traditional nor widespread practice.
Food choice motives of different ethnics and the foodies segment in Kuala Lumpur

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the food choice motives of consumers in Kuala Lumpur and the relative importance of these factors; to investigate the differences in food choice motives between the Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnicities and to examine variations in the food selection motives of foodies and non-foodies of the overall sample. Design/methodology/approach – An online questionnaire was employed using a snowballing sampling method with 239 respondents. Food choice motives were measured using Steptoe et al.'s (1995) Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) while a new exploratory measure for foodies was developed to examine respondents’ attitudes, interest and opinions (AIO). Findings – The top three factors of food choice motives were Price, Convenience and Sensory appeal. Ethnicities did not differ in their food choice motives except for Familiarity between Malays and Chinese. Foodies and non-foodies displayed significant differences in their food choice motives, specifically in regards.
Long-term Follow-up of Pediatric Benign Cerebellar Astrocytomas

BACKGROUND The long-term prognosis of cerebellar astrocytomas needs to be reviewed. OBJECTIVE To elucidate the factors influencing tumor recurrence or progression and to determine how long these patient with cerebellar astrocytomas require surveillance with neuroimaging. METHODS A retrospective review of 101 children surgically treated for a cerebellar astrocytoma and followed up for > 10 years was performed. RESULTS Mean follow-up was 18.4 years. Total resection confirmed by postoperative imaging was performed in 51 patients (50.5%; group A). Twenty-three patients (22.8%) had surgical total resection; however, equivocal residual tumor was found on postoperative imaging (group B). Subtotal resection leaving a portion of brainstem or cerebellar peduncle was performed in 27 patients (26.7; group C). Of these 50 residual tumors, 16 (32%) showed spontaneous regression and 8 (16%) showed arrested growth. Radiographic recurrence or progression was noted in 29 patients (28.7%). Only 3 of 51 patients (5.9%) of group A with total resection had recurrence, whereas 26 of 50 residual tumors (52%; groups B and C) progressed. The only factor affecting recurrence or progression by multivariate analysis was the extent of surgical resection. All tumor recurrence or progression except for 1 (96.6%) occurred within 8 years from the original surgery (range, 2-132 months). CONCLUSIONS Overall prognosis of cerebellar astrocytomas is good; the 10-year survival rate was 100% and recurrence- or progression-free rate was 71.3% in our cohort. Almost half of residual tumors showed spontaneous regression or arrested growth in the long term. Eight to 10 years is considered to be a reasonable follow-up period by neuroimaging.
Evaluation of prescribing and patient use of target‐specific oral anticoagulants in the outpatient setting

Pharmacist‐managed anticoagulation programmes have been shown to improve appropriate use of warfarin, but few programmes have included the new target‐specific oral anticoagulants (TSOACs) in their protocols. A greater understanding of TSOAC prescribing, monitoring and administration is needed to identify common errors in the current outpatient practice. The objective of this study is to assess the rate of errors related to prescribing, baseline monitoring and patient administration of TSOACs.
PHOSPHOINOSITIDES AND OTHER PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN SYMPATHETIC GANGLIA AND NERVE TRUNKS OF RATS

Abstract— Paired vagus nerves, phrenic nerves or superior cervical sympathetic ganglia from adult white rats were incubated for 4 h at 37°C in a bicarbonate‐buffered physiological solution containing glucose and 32P1. At the end of incubation triphosphoinositide (TPI) contained more 32P than any other lipid in the vagus nerves and was second only to phosphatidylcholine (PC) in the phrenic nerves. In the sympathetic ganglia phosphatidylinositol (PI) contained more 32P than did TPI, but both had less than PC. Conducted nerve impulses, initiated by electrical stimulation during the final 3 h of incubation, caused a highly significant increase in the [32P]‐labelling of PI in ganglia (as previously reported) probably decreased the labelling of TPI in the vagus nerves, and decreased the labelling of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the ganglia. Addition to the incubation medium of §‐ or γ‐hexachlorocyclohexane (analogs of inositol) reversibly blocked transmission through the sympathetic ganglia at concentrations less than 0·1 mM. The §‐isomer also blocked conduction along axons at similar concentrations; only the γ‐isomer (lindane) exerted a selective effect on synaptic transmission. In the ganglia, the §‐isomer increased the [32P]‐labelling of PI and diphosphoinositide (DPI) relative to that of PC. The γ‐isomer did not affect the relative labelling of PI in the ganglia, whereas it decreased that of TPI, but only at relatively high concentrations. Thus, various affects of the hexachlorocyclohexanes were not explicable by assuming that they acted as analog inhibitors of inositol metabolism. In the ganglia, the hexachlorocyclohexanes reduced the effect of neuronal activity on the labelling of PI in proportion to the extent by which they blocked transmission. This metabolic effect was therefore presumed to be secondary to a ganglionic blocking action.
Assessing the special need for protection of vulnerable refugees: testing the applicability of a screening method (RHS-15) to detect traumatic disorders in a refugee sample in Germany

ABSTRACT Objectives: Although EU member states are obligated to take special account of the situation of particularly vulnerable refugees, appropriate and specific measures to detect affected asylum seekers are not yet available. This study tries to pave the way for the implementation of an adequate instrument which at the same time assesses these needs of suffering people whilst responding to the need for mental health assessments specifically designed for refugees. This was done by testing the implementation of a screening method (Refugee Health Screener RHS-15) for trauma related mental health problems in refugees. Design: Two refugee samples in Germany (differing in arrival time: 126 applicants for asylum residing in the initial reception center and 116 living in long term communal accommodations) were assessed with the culturally sensitive Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15) to detect the incidence of mental health problems amongst them. Test fairness, reasonableness, susceptibility, transparency, acceptance, external design, utility and economy of the instrument were examined to check the applicability of the RHS-15 standardization test. Results: The RHS-15 indicates a good practical feasibility as the examination of the focused psychometric characteristics suggests. It became apparent, that implementing a screening procedure depends on political, legal and medical context factors that need to be considered. 2/3 of the participants had a positive screening result, which needs further diagnostic clarification in a second step. Conclusion: The RHS-15 seems to be practicable, economical, and rapidly deployable for the widespread detection of traumatic disorders in refugees living in Europe. The tool proved useful to aid diagnostic assessments and provide treatment to individuals in need, however the time of examination (resp. the duration of staying in the target land) influences the results.
Increasing Returns and Cycles in Fishing

We consider optimal fishery management under the assumption of increasing returns that is supported by previous empirical evidence. We improve the tractability and realism of the previous approaches by introducing flow adjustment costs on changes in harvest rate. Our framework is the first to provide a link between stable limit cycle policies and increasing returns in harvesting. The type of the harvest policy depends on flow adjustment costs: for relatively costly adjustments the usual steady state harvest policy is conceivable, whereas for relatively cheap adjustments the harvest policy is cyclical. We also show a connection between chattering control policies and limit cycles, which helps us to develop a clear economic meaning for cyclical harvesting.
THE INTEGRATION OF EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS: THE CASE OF THE BANKS

This paper presents an analysis of the degree of integration in the security market for European banks' stock using daily data for the period 30th November, 1987-28th October, 1988. In particular we study eight banks located in four European states, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Some degree of integration might be expected to be present as a consequence of a common regulatory regime incorporated in the Second European Banking Directive and common capital adequacy requirements. We find strong evidence that a high degree of integration does exist, at least amongst EC states. This suggests that the benefits claimed for capital market deregulation, with its associated ‘convergence criteria’ requirements, may already be being enjoyed by EC states.
Leaning for the Tape: Evidence of Gaming Behavior in Equity Mutual Funds

We present evidence that fund managers inf late quarter-end portfolio prices with last-minute purchases of stocks already held. The magnitude of price inf lation ranges from 0.5 percent per year for large-cap funds to well over 2 percent for small-cap funds. We find that the cross section of inf lation matches the cross section of incentives from the f low0performance relation, that a surge of trading in the quarter’s last minutes coincides with a surge in equity prices, and that the inf lation is greatest for the stocks held by funds with the most incentive to inf late, controlling for the stocks’ size and performance. QUARTER-END AND ESPECIALLY YEAR-END equity mutual fund prices are abnormally high. We present strong evidence that some mutual fund managers mark up their holdings at quarter end through aggressive trading of stocks they already hold. Funds with the greatest ability and most incentive to improve their performance exhibit the largest turn-of-quarter effect. Intradaily data show a surge of transactions and transaction prices in the quarter’s last few minutes, and fund-holdings data show a larger effect in the funds with the most incentive to mark up. Considering that open-end equity funds intermediate $3.46 trillion ~year-end 1999! , 1 this turn-of-quarter inf lation of their prices is a significant opportunity for potential sellers, and a significant hazard for everybody else. In general, open-end domestic equity mutual funds calculate their net asset values per share ~NAVs! from the closing transaction prices of their holdings.
Adolescents’ Sleep in Low-Stress and High-Stress (Exam) Times: A Prospective Quasi-Experiment

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Takeover possibility and market response to loss news under Chinese ST delisting regulation

This study examines whether the market reaction to firms' second consecutive loss news is influenced by the firms' likelihood of being taken over. Firms with two consecutive losses in China are subject to the “special-treatment (ST)” delisting regulation. We have two important findings. First, ST firms with certain characteristics (i.e. smaller firms with lower beta, lower accounting performance, higher leverage, and larger ownership concentration) are more likely to be taken over. Second, the market returns for the second consecutive loss news are higher for firms with a higher likelihood of being taken over.
An Ultrawideband Cross-Correlation Radiometer for Mesoscopic Experiments

We have designed, built, and tested a cross-correlation radiometer for detecting quantum statistical fluctuations in mesoscopic experiments. We present the details of our design and the results of our characterization. Our instrument operates over the X- and Ku-bands (8-18 GHz). Digital signal processing techniques are used to provide robustness against instrumentation drifts and offsets. The economized version of our instrument can detect, with sufficient correlation efficiency, noise signals having power levels as low as 10 fW. The modularity of our design allows one to easily alter the specifications (such as the bandwidth and the sensitivity) by simply replacing individual components.
Bilaterial Equilibrium Exchange Rates of EU Accession Countries Against the Euro

We apply BEER and PEER approaches to calculate real equilibrium exchange rates for five EU accession countries in central and east Europe. Bilateral nominal equilibrium exchange rates against the euro are obtained through algebraic transformation of the results. Panel cointegration techniques are used to check the adequacy of the empirical model. The results reveal substantial overvaluations of the real exchange rate in several EU accession countries. Overvaluation is even higher when these exchange rates are expressed in nominal terms against the euro.
The ubiquitin-binding adaptor proteins p62/SQSTM1 and NDP52 are recruited independently to bacteria-associated microdomains to target Salmonella to the autophagy pathway

Autophagy is an innate immune defense against bacterial invasion. Recent studies show that two adaptor proteins, p62 and NDP52, are required for autophagy of the bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). However, it is not known why two different adaptors are required to target the same bacterial cargo to autophagy. Here we show that both adaptors are recruited to bacteria with similar kinetics, that they are recruited to bacteria independently of each other, and that depletion of either adaptor leads to impairment of antibacterial autophagy. Depletion of both adaptors does not synergistically impair autophagy, indicating they act in the same pathway. Remarkably, we observed that these adaptors do not colocalize, but rather form non-overlapping microdomains surrounding bacteria. We conclude that p62 and NDP52 act cooperatively to drive efficient antibacterial autophagy by targeting the protein complexes they coordinate to distinct microdomains associated with bacteria.
An empirical investigation of users' views on corporate annual reports in Qatar

Purpose – This study is the first attempt to explore in depth users' views on corporate annual reports in Qatar, which has a rapidly growing economy and underdeveloped accounting systems.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was distributed to 80 individual investors, 40 institutional investors, 30 financial analysts, 30 bank credit officers and 40 government officers who are involved with investment decisions. A total of 150 completed questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 68 percent. Descriptive statistics and Kruskal‐Wallis and Mann Whitney tests were used to analyze the results.Findings – The respondents considered annual reports to be important and useful and to be the main source of information for investment decisions. The respondents rated the balance sheet, auditor's report, cash flow statement, income statement and notes to the accounts as the most important and understandable sections in the annual reports. Additionally, respondents considered government publications and.
Determinants of Patient Satisfaction With Migraine Therapy

Determinants of patient satisfaction with migraine treatment are not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate which treatment outcomes influence patient satisfaction with treatment. Analyses were performed on data from 1506 migraineurs from two clinical trials of rizatriptan for treatment of migraine. Satisfaction with treatment was assessed 2 h after initial treatment and prior to use of rescue therapy. Over 90% of patients who were pain-free at 2 h were at least somewhat satisfied with treatment compared with < 10% of patients with moderate or severe pain. Only 60–70% of patients with mild pain at 2 h experienced some level of satisfaction with treatment. For patients with mild pain at 2 h, results showed subjects who reported severe pain at baseline, absence of associated symptoms at 2 h and pain relief within the first 90 min had at least a 76% probability of being at least somewhat satisfied. This probability decreased with the presence of associated symptoms, slower pain relief and moderate baseline pain intensity. Fast, complete pain relief is one important factor in determining short-term patient satisfaction with treatment.
Confounding and Exposure Trends in Case‐Crossover and Case‐Time‐Control Designs

&NA; As with ordinary studies, both case‐crossover and case‐timecontrol studies can suffer from confounding, including confounding by indication. In a case‐crossover analysis, confounding by fixed (constant) characteristics is eliminated by pairing of cases to themselves, at the possible cost of introducing bias due to time trends in exposure. A case‐time‐control analysis can correct case‐crossover results only for bias due to such time trends. If an uncontrolled confounder (such as disease severity) is present, the use of time controls can introduce new confounding, and the case‐time‐control results may end up either more or less confounded than the ordinary and case‐crossover results. The relative confounding in the different approaches depends on details of the relations among the unmeasured confounder, the study exposure, the study disease, and any trend in these variables or their effects. Like an ordinary study, a case‐time‐control study must assume absence of unmeasured confounders, whether fixed or time‐varying. Like a case‐cross‐over study, it must also assume absence of carryover effects and can be more prone to misclassification bias than an ordinary study.
Improving Transparency and Relevance of Auditor Communications with Financial Statement Users

SUMMARY: Recent SASs (e.g., SAS No. 114 (AICPA 2006b) and SAS No. 115 (AICPA 2008a)) expand required and optional communications from auditors to their clients. Given that some state laws likely allow stockholders to request access to those communications, and given that the ASB and the IAASB currently are examining how the auditor’s report may be made more effective in communicating assurance to financial statement users, we propose expanding the current auditor’s report by adding a set of accompanying footnotes. The footnotes could include auditor comments on information about the audit, the quality of the financial statements, the quality of the financial reporting system, and/or the quality of the client as a business entity. We conclude with suggestions for research that would identify the effects of suggested communications on various stakeholders.
Critical review of the building downwash algorithms in AERMOD

ABSTRACT The only documentation on the building downwash algorithm in AERMOD (American Meteorological Society/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model), referred to as PRIME (Plume Rise Model Enhancements), is found in the 2000 A&WMA journal article by Schulman, Strimaitis and Scire. Recent field and wind tunnel studies have shown that AERMOD can overpredict concentrations by factors of 2 to 8 for certain building configurations. While a wind tunnel equivalent building dimension study (EBD) can be conducted to approximately correct the overprediction bias, past field and wind tunnel studies indicate that there are notable flaws in the PRIME building downwash theory. A detailed review of the theory supported by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and wind tunnel simulations of flow over simple rectangular buildings revealed the following serious theoretical flaws: enhanced turbulence in the building wake starting at the wrong longitudinal location; constant enhanced turbulence extending up to the wake height; constant initial enhanced turbulence in the building wake (does not vary with roughness or stability); discontinuities in the streamline calculations; and no method to account for streamlined or porous structures. Implications: This paper documents theoretical and other problems in PRIME along with CFD simulations and wind tunnel observations that support these findings. Although AERMOD/PRIME may provide accurate and unbiased estimates (within a factor of 2) for some building configurations, a major review and update is needed so that accurate estimates can be obtained for other building configurations where significant overpredictions or underpredictions are common due to downwash effects. This will ensure that regulatory evaluations subject to dispersion modeling requirements can be based on an accurate model. Thus, it is imperative that the downwash theory in PRIME is corrected to improve model performance and ensure that the model better represents reality.
On the Dynamic Transmission of Mean and Volatility across the Arab Stock Markets

This article applies a multivariate model to uncover the dynamic mean and volatility interdependence across the markets of Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arabic Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Oman from June 2005 to January 2012. Results show that the Arab Middle East and North African equity markets are interconnected by their volatilities and not by their returns, which makes risk reduction possible. Volatility persistence and innovations in one market enclose figures that are valuable to investors and risk managers seeking to predict volatility in other markets. Surprisingly, we find evidence of significant volatility spillover from small to larger markets. JEL Classification: G1, G15, G17, C22, C32