Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global Assessment of the Impact of Type 2 Diabetes on Sleep through Specific Questionnaires. A Case-Control Study

Abstract Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an independent risk factor for sleep breathing disorders. However, it is unknown whether T2D affects daily somnolence and quality of sleep independently of the impairment of polysomnographic parameters. Material and Methods A case-control study including 413 patients with T2D and 413 non-diabetic subjects, matched by age, gender, BMI, and waist and neck circumferences. A polysomnography was performed and daytime sleepiness was evaluated using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). In addition, 135 subjects with T2D and 45 controls matched by the same previous parameters were also evaluated through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to calculate sleep quality. Results Daytime sleepiness was higher in T2D than in control subjects (p = 0.003), with 23.9% of subjects presenting an excessive daytime sleepiness (ESS>10). Patients with fasting plasma glucose (FPG ≥13.1 mmol/l) were identified as the group with a higher risk associated with an ESS>10 (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.8–7.9, p = 0.0003). A stepwise regression analyses showed that the presence of T2D, baseline glucose levels and gender but not polysomnographic parameters (i.e apnea-hyoapnea index or sleeping time spent with oxigen saturation lower than 90%) independently predicted the ESS score. In addition, subjects with T2D showed higher sleep disturbances [PSQI: 7.0 (1.0–18.0) vs. 4 (0.0–12.0), p<0.001]. Conclusion The presence of T2D and high levels of FPG are independent risk factors for daytime sleepiness and adversely affect sleep quality. Prospective studies addressed to demonstrate whether glycemia optimization could improve the sleep quality in T2D patients seem warranted.
International Direct Investment and Transboundary Pollution: An Empirical Analysis of Complex Networks

Using complex networks and spatial econometric methods, we empirically test the extent to which a country’s influence and its position in an international investment network affect environmental quality as well as the country’s role in transboundary pollution transfer. The estimated results show that the ties connecting nodes together in an international investment network have significant impacts on global environmental pollution. Additionally, node linkages between developing countries have stronger negative effects on environmental quality than node linkages between developed countries. Moreover, greater node importance and node centrality accelerate the speed and scale of the growth of polluting industries, which allows developed countries to more easily transfer their pollution-intensive industries to developing countries that possess higher node dependency. We also find that the factor endowment effect coexists with the pollution haven effect, the effects of environmental regulation advantage in the international investment network are greater than the impact of factor endowment advantage.
Why do Party Members Leave

Why do people leave political parties they once joined as members? This article assesses five explanations: civic resources; cognitive engagement; a preference for alternative forms of political participation; ideological preferences; and material benefits to membership. These explanations are tested using data from a 2013 face-to-face probability-based survey in Austria ( n = 3266, of which 545 respondents are current or former party members). Self-reports and regression analyses show that cognitive disengagement and ideological preferences are the main differences between current and former members. These findings have important implications for understanding why party membership is in decline.
The perturbation method and triangle-free random graphs

When a discrete random variable in a discrete space is asymptotically Poisson, there is often a powerful method of estimating its distribution, by calculating the ratio of the probabilities of adjacent values of the variable. The versatility of this method is demonstrated by finding asymptotically the probability that a random graph has no triangles, provided the edge density is not too large. In particular, the probability that G ∈ G(n, p) has no triangles is asymptotic to exp(− 6p 3n3 + 14p 5n4 − 7 12p 7n5) for p = o(n−2/3), and for G ∈ G(n,m) it is asymptotic to exp(− 6d 3n3) for d = 2m n(n−1) = o(n −2/3).
Expansion and densification of cities: linking urban form to urban ecology

Despite much research on the ecological impacts of urbanization, we still do not know what development patterns are most effective in supporting ecological function. In particular, it is as yet unclear if compact urban forms are ecologically more favourable than dispersed forms. Using historical data from the city of Geneva in Switzerland, we present results on its growth from 1841 to 2005, or for 165 years. We first show that the main street orientations have been maintained since the initiation of the city, which implies that the Shannon-Gibbs orientation entropy has been essentially constant during this period. We also show that the length-size distributions of the streets follow power laws and that the length entropy has, in contrast to the orientation entropy, gradually increased during the 165-year evolution of the city. This means that the maximum length and the average length of the street network has increased as the network has expanded. This study suggests that the city of Geneva has grown through two processes: expansion and densification. In Geneva, expansion has dominated during the entire period, but there has also been densification, particularly in the second half of the period. City expansion means that the land used for human activities increases over time. The urban area covered by Geneva increased from about 0.6 km2 in 1841 to about 16 km2 today, so that the area covered by fields and woodlands and available to plants and animals has reduced by more than 15 km2 during this period. Similarly, densification normally (but not always) implies that the green areas available for plants and animal inside the city reduce in size. Densification results in less average human-travel distances, less fuel consumption for transportation, and less land being urbanized; it is also favourable to certain aspects of the ecosystem. Densification may thus be a viable planning scenario for the future growth of many cities, in Switzerland and elsewhere. However, expansion appears to favour other aspects of the ecosystem, and further studies are needed to assess ecologically the overall pros and cons of city densification versus expansion.
On routine implementation of virtual evolvable devices using COMBO6

This paper introduces an approach showing that a complete implementation of a digital evolvable hardware system can automatically be created from a high-level specification. The approach generates the implementation of a virtual reconfigurable circuit and evolutionary algorithm independently of a target platform, i.e. as a soft IP core. The method is evaluated on the development of two high-performance evolvable systems that are utilized for fast evolutionary design of small combinational circuits, such as 3 - 3-bit multipliers. The COMBO6 card is employed for these experiments.
What Do We Learn From Self-Evaluations of Training ? A Comparison of Subjective and Objective Evaluations

Self-evaluations of program impact, notably subjective evaluations of the e¤ects of training, are wide-spread in both the public and the private sector  probably because self-evaluations o¤er an easy and low-cost alternative to rigorous experimental or econometric evaluations. In this paper, I analyze how subjective assessments of satisfaction with training compare to objective measures based on di¤erences in test scores before and after training. I nd a complete lack of correspondence between the objective measure of learning and 11 subjective measures of satisfaction with aspects of the courses. This nding suggests that either learning has no weight in the employeessubjective evaluations or subjective evaluations cannot be trusted. At this stage, we cannot fully ascertain whether subjective evaluations can be used as a substitute for econometric or experimental program evaluations, but the results found here suggests that this is not the case. JEL Classi cation: C31, J01
Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment as drivers for the user acceptance of interactive mobile maps

This study examines the user perception of usefulness, ease of use and enjoyment as drivers for the users’ complex interaction with map on mobile devices. TAM model was used to evaluate users’ intention to use and their acceptance of interactive mobile map using the above three beliefs as antecedents. Quantitative research (survey) methodology was employed and the analysis and findings showed that all the three explanatory variables used in this study, explain the variability in the user acceptance of interactive mobile map technology. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment each have significant positive influence on user acceptance of interactive mobile maps. This study further validates the TAM model.
Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce Determinants of Customers' Adoption of Mobile Banking: an Empirical Study by Integrating Diffusion of Innovation with Attitude

Her current research interests are on customer adoption and service quality in mobile banking.Abstract Adoption of mobile technology as an alternate distribution channel in delivering the banking services to customer's shows prospective in the newly developed banking model all over world. Mobile banking is a new radical innovation in the excellence of service delivery to banks. Banks are mining this technology to empower the society containing both banked and un-banked customers as well as bringing profits to mobile network operators and reducing the operational cost for the banks. This research attempted to integrate the customer's attitude and social environmental factor i.e. mimetic force with Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) model by Roger's in widening the applicability to mobile banking in India. It explains the customers' attitude towards mobile banking in terms of innovation attributes i.e. Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Trialbility, Observability and Institution theory i.e. mimetic pressure which leads to the formation of attitude towards adoption of mobile banking. It was found compatibility; trialability and mimetic force are the good predictors for attitude towards adoption of mobile banking in Indian context. The research has enhanced knowledge base on customer adoption of mobile banking and has identified the innovation attributes and mimetic force in explaining the customers' attitude in better understanding of the commercial likelihood of distribution channel.
Blazing trails, being us: A narrative inquiry with five high school students with autism who type to communicate

This dissertation chronicles the experiences of five high school students with autism who type to communicate as they navigate the terrain of high school, adolescence, and identity through collaboration and dialogue with one another, their school support team, and the inquirer (researcher). This study employs a multilayered approach to narrative inquiry to unravel and (re)present the students’ (co-inquirers) individual and collective stories as constructed through observation, performance, dialogue, and art. While acknowledging the importance of families and school personnel, the students’ storied lives and perspectives—as well their participation in constructing the inquiry process—are foregrounded to supplement research dominated by adult, and/or spoken voices. Grounded in a disability studies in education framework, this work traverses the institutional, performative, and dialogic landscapes that the students help to shape (and are shaped by) to reveal the complex interplay between diverse ways of being and communicating, dominant discourses of normativity, and resistance through advocacy, inclusion, and research. The reader is invited to follow along as the students cultivate community through (inter)action grounded in shared experience, inclusive educational contexts, and emerging ownership of their situated identities as individuals with autism who communicate in diverse ways. They/we feel compelled⎯by default and/or design⎯to put these perspectives and stories into the world as counter-narrative(s). In both content and form, the (re)presentations emerging within/out of this inquiry start a conversation about the constraints of research and inclusion understood solely as practice, advocating for a broadened conception of both as co-constructed, relational experiences. BLAZING TRAILS, BEING US: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY WITH FIVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH AUTISM WHO TYPE TO COMMUNICATE by Casey Lee Woodfield B.A., Providence College, 2009 M.S., Syracuse University, 2010 C.A. S. , Syracuse University, 2010 Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education. Syracuse University May 2016 Copyright © Casey Lee Woodfield 2016 All Rights Reserved For Anne and her shadow(s).
A stochastic discount factor approach to asset pricing using panel data asymptotics

Using the Pricing Equation in a panel-data framework, we construct a novel consistent estimator of the stochastic discount factor (SDF) which relies on the fact that its logarithm is the 'common feature' in every asset return of the economy. Our estimator is a simple function of asset returns and does not depend on any parametric function representing preferences. The techniques discussed in this paper were applied to two relevant issues in macroeconomics and finance: the first asks what type of parametric preference-representation could be validated by asset-return data, and the second asks whether or not our SDF estimator can price returns in an out-of-sample forecasting exercise. In formal testing, we cannot reject standard preference specifications used in the macro/finance literature. Estimates of the relative risk-aversion coefficient are between 1 and 2, and statistically equal to unity. We also show that our SDF proxy can price reasonably well the returns of stocks with a higher capitalization level, whereas it shows some difficulty in pricing stocks with a lower level of capitalization.
Biomarkers of Antioxidant Status, Inflammation, and Cartilage Metabolism Are Affected by Acute Intense Exercise but Not Superoxide Dismutase Supplementation in Horses

Objectives were to evaluate effects of (1) repetitive arthrocentesis on biomarkers of inflammation (prostaglandin E2, PGE2) and aggrecan synthesis (chondroitin sulfate-846; CS) in synovial fluid (SF); (2) exercise and superoxide dismutase (SOD) supplementation on biomarkers of inflammation, antioxidant status, and aggrecan synthesis, in horses. Preliminary trial. Standardbreds underwent four arthrocentesis procedures within 48 h and exhibited elevated CS and no changes in PGE2. Exercise trial. this randomized crossover design used twelve Standardbred mares which received either treatment (3000 IU d−1 oral SOD powder) or placebo (cellulose powder) for 6 wks which culminated with them running a repeated sprint exercise test (RSET). Samples were collected before (PRE), during (PEAK), and following exercise (POST). Exercise resulted in increased (P < 0.05) antioxidant defenses including erythrocyte SOD, total glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, gene transcripts for interferon-gamma, interleukin-10, and interleukin-1β in blood, and decreased plasma nitric oxide. Exercise increased (P < 0.05) SF CS and adjusted-PGE2, and higher (P < 0.05) CS and PGE2 were found in hock versus carpus joints. No treatment effects were detected. Results suggest normal adaptive responses likely due to exercise-induced tissue microdamage and oxidative stress. Additional research is needed to identify benefit(s) of SOD supplementation in horses.
Review of Parasitic Zoonoses in Egypt

This review presents a comprehensive picture of the zoonotic parasitic diseases in Egypt, with particular reference to their relative prevalence among humans, animal reservoirs of infection, and sources of human infection. A review of the available literature indicates that many parasitic zoonoses are endemic in Egypt. Intestinal infections of parasitic zoonoses are widespread and are the leading cause of diarrhea, particularly among children and residents of rural areas. Some parasitic zoonoses are confined to specific geographic areas in Egypt, such as cutaneous leishmaniasis and zoonotic babesiosis in the Sinai. Other areas have a past history of a certain parasitic zoonoses, such as visceral leishmaniasis in the El-Agamy area in Alexandria. As a result of the implementation of control programs, a marked decrease in the prevalence of other zoonoses, such as schistosomiasis and fascioliasis has been observed. Animal reservoirs of parasitic zoonoses have been identified in Egypt, especially in rodents, stray dogs and cats, as well as vectors, typically mosquitoes and ticks, which constitute potential risks for disease transmission. Prevention and control programs against sources and reservoirs of zoonoses should be planned by public health and veterinary officers based on reliable information from systematic surveillance.
Decision-making opportunities at school moderate the effects of positive youth development on civic behaviors

Abstract The assets of Positive Youth Development were explored in relation to youth civic behaviors among a total of 7656 Finnish sixth and ninth graders (mean age 12 and 15 years, respectively). The assets of positive global self-esteem, societal interests, competence orientation, connectedness with peers and family, and caring for school were expected to be positively related to adolescents’ civic behaviors, but the opportunities to participate in the decision-making at school were hypothesized to moderate these links. As hypothesized, opportunities for decision-making at school decreased the effects of global self-esteem and future orientation on adolescents’ civic behaviors and strengthened the positive influence of connectedness with peers. The pattern of the results highlight a need for a systematic exploration of various influences on adolescents’ civic behaviors, and, most of all, the importance of empowering students with decision-making opportunities at school.
The Physical Nature of Rest-UV Galaxy Morphology during the Peak Epoch of Galaxy Formation

Motivated by the irregular and little-understood morphologies of z ~ 2-3 galaxies, we use nonparametric coefficients to quantify the morphologies of 216 galaxies that have been spectroscopically confirmed to lie at redshifts z = 1.8-3.4 in the GOODS-N field. Using measurements of UV and optical spectral lines, multiband photometric data, and stellar population models, we statistically assess possible correlations between galaxy morphology and physical observables such as stellar mass, star formation rate, and the strength of galaxy-scale outflows. We find evidence that dustier galaxies have more nebulous UV morphologies and that larger, more luminous galaxies may drive stronger outflows, but we otherwise conclude that UV morphology is either statistically decoupled from the majority of physical observables or determined by too complex a combination of physical processes to provide characterizations with predictive power. Given the absence of strong correlations between UV morphology and physical parameters such as star formation rates, we are therefore unable to support the hypothesis that morphologically irregular galaxies predominantly represent major galaxy mergers. Comparing galaxy samples, we find that IR-selected BzK galaxies and radio-selected submillimeter galaxies have UV morphologies similar to the optically selected sample, while distant red galaxies are more nebulous.
Self-Control and Immigrant Adolescent Victimization

There is a growing body of research that reveal immigrant adolescents have fewer experiences with violence than their native-born peers in the United States. Furthermore, self-control is associated with adolescent victimization and there is documented sex differences associated with the relationship between the two. Few studies explore how self-control could explain the relationship between immigrant status and victimization. This study will explore whether self-control moderates the likelihood of female and male immigrant adolescent victimization. Drawing on data from the Gang Resistance Education and Training Program, results show that immigrant adolescents are not more likely to experience victimization, self-control predicted the odds of victimization for females only, and the link between immigration status and victimization is not conditioned by self-control. The implications of the relationship between self-control, immigrant status, sex, and adolescent victimization are discussed more generally.
Vulnerability Disclosure in the Age of Social Media: Exploiting Twitter for Predicting Real-World Exploits

In recent years, the number of software vulnerabilities discovered has grown significantly. This creates a need for prioritizing the response to new disclosures by assessing which vulnerabilities are likely to be exploited and by quickly ruling out the vulnerabilities that are not actually exploited in the real world. We conduct a quantitative and qualitative exploration of the vulnerability-related information disseminated on Twitter. We then describe the design of a Twitter-based exploit detector, and we introduce a threat model specific to our problem. In addition to response prioritization, our detection techniques have applications in risk modeling for cyber-insurance and they highlight the value of information provided by the victims of attacks.
Pollinators and pollen dispersal of Piper dilatatum (Piperaceae) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama

The genus Piper is an important component of tropical forests worldwide. Many Piper species have been reported as self-compatible (Figueiredo & Sazima 2000), and many have the ability to reproduce asexually, forming clonal aggregations (Grieg 1993). Furthermore, the main dispersers of Piper (bats) transport whole infructescences to feeding roosts (Fleming & Heithaus 1981), tending to disperse closely related seeds in clumps. These characteristics of Piper biology are likely to result in populations with strongly marked spatial genetic structure, and raise the potential for inbreeding depression through self-fertilization. A few studies using allozymes to evaluate spatial genetic structure in Piper spp. support this view. These studies indicate that populations separated by more than 1 km are genetically distinct (high FST values; Wright 1943) and that for some species inbreeding could be substantial (high values of FIS and FIT; Heywood & Fleming 1986, Mariot et al. 2002). However, the contributions of limited pollen and seed dispersal to generating spatial genetic structure remain unknown. Estimates of seed dispersal probabilities by Carollia perspicillata (Phyllostomidae) bats on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, and at Santa Rosa, Costa Rica, indicate that Piper dispersers move most seeds 50–300 m from the parent plant, with occasional long-distance events of > 1 km (Fleming 1981, Thies 1998). However, no studies have assessed how far Piper flower visitors move pollen. If seed dispersal is limited, and clonal reproduction is common, then long-distance pollen transfer may play a critical role in preventing inbreeding depression in Piper populations.