Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Building Trust in Decentralized Peer-to-Peer Electronic Communities

Many players in electronic markets have to cope with much higher amount of uncertainty as to quality and reliability of the products they buy and the information they obtain from other peers in the respective online business communities. One way to address this uncertainty problem is to use information such as feedbacks about past experiences to help making recommendation and judgment on product quality and information reliability. This paper presents PeerTrust, a simple yet effective reputation-based trust mechanism for quantifying and comparing the trustworthiness of peers in a decentralized peer-to-peer electronic marketplace. There are three main contributions in this paper. First, we argue that the trust models based solely on feedbacks from other peers in the community is inaccurate and ineffective. We introduce three basic trust parameters in computing trust within an electronic community. In addition to feedbacks in terms of amount of satisfaction, we incorporate the feedback context such as the total number of transactions and the credibility of the feedback sources into the PeerTrust model for evaluating the trustworthiness of peers. Second, we develop a basic trust metric that combines the three critical parameters to compare and quantify the trustworthiness of peers. Third, we present a concrete method to validate the proposed trust model and report the set of initial experiments, showing the feasibility, costs, and benefits of our approach.
Meaning-making in religious education: a critical discourse analysis of RE departments’ web pages

Abstract This paper explores what some have described as a ‘crisis in meaning’ in religious education (RE). One region, Northern Ireland, is chosen as a focus for exploring the question of meaning-making as it provides an example of ‘agreed ambiguity’ – where a common syllabus for RE is believed to be ascribed different meanings by different schools. The web pages of RE departments were used as a data source, and a critical discourse analysis method was employed to investigate how a sample of departments construct meaning in RE. The findings identify three dominant discourses in relation to RE in the sample: Christian Community, Cultural Hegemony and Personal Quest. It is noted that when giving meaning to RE, schools show commonality and difference across three key areas: ‘stake and interest’; ‘pupil agency’; and ‘dealing with difference’. In conclusion, it is noted that, where freedom is given to schools to construct meaning in RE, it is possible to sustain a common curriculum across schools with very different views of the subject, however, this flexibility has implications for issues of power, identity, autonomy and difference which may require mitigation. It is suggested critical education may be a valuable partner in this work.
Type-level web APIs with Servant: an exercise in domain-specific generic programming

We describe the design and motivation for Servant, an extensible, type-level DSL for describing Web APIs. Servant APIs are Haskell types. An API type can be interpreted in several different ways: as a server that processes requests, interprets them and dispatches them to appropriate handlers; as a client that can correctly query the endpoints of the API; as systematic documentation for the API; and more. Servant is fully extensible: the API language can be augmented with new constructs, and new interpretations can be defined. The key Haskell features making all this possible are data kinds, (open) type families and (open) type classes. The techniques we use are reminiscent of general-purpose generic programming. However, where most generic programming libraries are interested in automatically deriving programs for a large class of datatypes from many different domains, we are only interested in a small class of datatypes that is used in the DSL for describing APIs.
Reducing barriers to psychotherapy via an online self-affirmation intervention

This research developed and tested online self-affirmation interventions to reduce psychological barriers associated with seeking help for mental health issues in two studies. There is evidence that reflecting on personal values (values-affirmation) and reflecting on close social relationships (social-affirmation) may both be effective approaches to eliciting self-affirmation—a psychological process that temporarily bolsters self-worth in order to forestall maladaptive, self-protective threat-responses. Study 1 (N = 384) experimentally examined the strategies of values-affirmation, social-affirmation, and type of help-seeking information presented to potential help-seekers. This study utilized a 2×2×2 factorial design with two self-affirmation manipulations (i.e., values-affirmation vs. no-affirmation and social-affirmation vs. no-affirmation), as well as an information manipulation (reassuring help-seeking information vs. standard help-seeking information). It was predicted that values-affirmation, social-affirmation and reassuring help-seeking information would (1) reduce threat-responses associated with reading the help-seeking information, and (2) increase positive help-seeking beliefs. Results indicated that values-affirmation and reassuring information both reduced negative affect and perceived help-seeking information threat, but did not affect time spent reading help-seeking information. Social-affirmation had no statistically significant effects on any dependent variable. No experimental manipulation directly increased positive help-seeking beliefs, but values-affirmation and reassuring information both had beneficial indirect effects on positive help-seeking beliefs, via reductions in threat and self-stigma. No main effects were found two weeks posttest, but a social-affirmation×information interaction effect indicated that the combination of socialaffirmation and standard information or no-affirmation and reassuring information was
Cross-border mobility, European identity and participation among European adolescents and young adults

Abstract Cross-border mobility is one of the most important factors that are assumed to strengthen young people’s commitment as European citizens. However, the existing empirical evidence does not provide consistent support. In this paper, we tested the hypothesis that cross-border mobility is associated with a stronger European identification, more positive attitudes toward the EU, and with specific visions of the EU, and that these factors, in turn, have a positive effect on engagement at EU level. Data were collected as part of the multinational research project CATCH-EyoU. Analyses were performed controlling for gender, income, country, and migrant status. Results mostly confirmed the hypotheses among both adolescents and young adults, and for both short-term and long-term mobility. EU level participation and EU voting intentions appeared to be influenced by partly different factors. The implications of the findings, both at theoretical level and for the development of international mobility programs, are discussed.
Decision models and the adoption of wireless technology

Many nations boast high broadband internet penetration. In many of markets, consumers can choose among competing technologies to connect to the internet. Much research in the IT diffusion domain has been useful for examining the adoption of individual technologies. This paper explores technology adoption in an environment in which different technologies fill a similar need by focusing on wireless internet access. This paper uses a series of focus group interviews to analyze the use of cognitive referencing in the form of reference prices, situational (status quo) framing, and mental accounting as potential determinants of technology adoption. The findings of this study suggest that adoption decisions are reference-dependent and that researchers should consider users’ referents when studying adoption in the wireless broadband market.
Understanding everyday life and mental health recovery through CHIME

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how daily life reflects the recovery journeys of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) living independently in the community. Design/methodology/approach The go-along technique, which blends participant observation and interviewing, was used to gather data from 19 individuals with SMI living in supported housing. Data were analyzed through the CHIME framework of personal recovery, which includes social connectedness, hope and optimism, identity, meaning in life, and empowerment. Findings Applying the CHIME framework to qualitative data reveals the multiple ways in which everyday experiences, within and beyond formal mental healthcare environments, shapes personal recovery processes. Research limitations/implications Combining novel methods and conceptual frameworks to lived experiences sharpens extant knowledge of the active and non-linear aspects to personal recovery. The role of the researcher must be critically considered when using go-along methods. Practical implications Practitioners working with this population should account for the role of socially supportive and financially accessible spaces and activities that support the daily work of recovery beyond the context of formal care and services. Originality/value This study utilizes an innovative method to illustrate the crucial role of daily and seemingly banal experiences in fostering or hindering personal recovery processes. It is also the one of the first studies to comprehensively apply the CHIME framework to qualitative data in order to understand the recovery journeys of individuals with SMI living in supported housing.
Lexical Functions and the Translation of Collocations

This paper discusses the lexicographical concept of Lexical functions (Mel'chuk and Zholkovsky, 1984) and their potential exploitation in the development of a machine translation lexicon designed to handle collocations. We show how lexical functions can be thought to reflect crosslinguistic meaning concepts for collocational structures and their translational equivalents, and therefore suggest themselves as some kind of language-independent semantic primitives from which translation strategies can be developed.
Effect of Extended Extinction from Gold Nanopillar Arrays on the Absorbance Spectrum of a Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cell

We report on the effects of enhanced absorption/scattering from arrays of Au nanopillars of varied size and spacing on the spectral response of a P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction solar cell. Nanopillar array-patterned devices do show increased optical extinction within a narrow range of wavelengths compared to control samples without such arrays. The measured external quantum efficiency and calculated absorbance, however, both show a decrease near the corresponding wavelengths. Numerical simulations indicate that for relatively narrow nanopillars, the increased optical extinction is dominated by absorption within the nanopillars, rather than scattering, and is likely dissipated by Joule heating.
Parallel stochastic line search methods with feedback for minimizing finite sums

We consider unconstrained minimization of a finite sum of N continuously differentiable, not necessarily convex, cost functions. Several gradientlike (and more generally, line search) methods, where the full gradient (the sum of N component costs’ gradients) at each iteration k is replaced with an inexpensive approximation based on a sub-sample Nk of the component costs’ gradients, are available in the literature. However, a vast majority of the methods considers pre-determined (either deterministic or random) rules for selecting subsets Nk; these rules are unrelated with the actual progress of the algorithm along iterations. In this paper, we propose a very general framework for nonmonotone line search algorithms with an adaptive choice of sub-samplesNk. Specifically, we consider master-worker architectures with one master and N workers, where each worker holds one component function fi. The master maintains the solution estimate xk and controls the states of the workers (active or inactive) through a single scalar control parameter pk. Each active worker sends to the master the value and the gradient of its compoDragana Bajović Biosense Institute, University of Novi Sad Zorana Djindjića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia E-mail: dbajovic@uns.ac.rs Dušan Jakovetić Biosense Institute, University of Novi Sad Zorana Djindjića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia E-mail: djakovet@uns.ac.rs Nataša Krejić Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia E-mail: natasak@uns.ac.rs Nataša Krklec Jerinkić Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia E-mail: natasa.krklec@dmi.uns.ac.rs 2 Dragana Bajović et al. nent cost, while inactive workers stay idle. Parameter pk is proportional to the expected (average) number of active workers (which equals the average sample size), and it can increase or decrease along iterations based on a computationally inexpensive estimate of the algorithm progress. Hence, through parameter pk, the master sends feedback to the workers about the desired sample size at the next iteration. For the proposed algorithmic framework, we show that each accumulation point of sequence {xk} is a stationary point for the desired cost function, almost surely. Simulations on both synthetic and real world data sets illustrate the benefits of the proposed framework with respect to the existing non-adaptive rules.
OSNR optimization in optical networks: extension for capacity constraints

This paper builds on the OSNR model in "Power control for OSNR optimization in optical networks: A noncooperative game approach. " (Pavel, 2004) and studies the optimization problem of optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) in the case of single point-to-point links. An m-player noncooperative game is formulated and the cost function for each channel is introduced, with differentiated prices. The status of the link, i.e. such that the total input optical power will not exceed the link's capacity, is considered in the cost function. Conditions for existence and uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium solution are given. Some strategies for dynamic price setting are also discussed, in the context of dynamic channel-add.
The importance of the therapeutic alliance when working with men who have committed a sexual offence

Purpose While there is general agreement in the literature regarding the importance of the therapeutic alliance (TA) in psychological interventions with people, the forensic context raises some unique challenges. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how these challenges are managed within a therapeutic context. Design/methodology/approach This paper consists of a literature review examining the following: the significance of the TA in interventions with forensic clients, especially men who have committed a sexual offence and the impact on treatment efficacy and change; therapist characteristics as well as some of the obstacles and challenges present in a correctional setting, which can impact on the TA and; the role of transference and countertransference in relation to these forensic clients. Findings Through the literature review, there is a discussion regarding how some of the common obstacles within correctional settings can be overcome, and how certain therapist qualities should be interpreted. Originality/value This paper will discuss some of the practical applications of certain recommended therapeutic factors within a correctional setting, challenging some of the common misconceptions and limitations. Furthermore, transference and countertransference, topics which are seldom discussed, will be considered in this paper.
Individual fracture risk and the cost-effectiveness of bisphosphonates in patients using oral glucocorticoids.

OBJECTIVES There are few data on the cost-effectiveness of bisphosphonates with oral glucocorticoids (GCs). An individual patient-based pharmaco-economic model was developed. METHODS Data were obtained from a cohort of oral GC users aged 40+ (n = 190 000) in the UK General Practice Research Database. Individualized fracture and mortality risks were calculated specific for age, sex, daily and cumulative GC dose, indication and other clinical risk factors. UK costs of medication and direct costs of fracture were obtained from National Institute for Clinical Excellence and used to estimate costs per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained and fracture prevented for bisphosphonates in patients treated for 5 yrs with GCs. RESULTS With the use of 5 mg GCs daily, the cost per one QALY gained with bisphosphonates was 41k UK pounds (95% confidence intervals 22-72k) in women aged <60 [men 40k pounds (29-54k)], 17k pounds (13-24k) in women aged 60-79 [men 43k pounds (31-60k)], 5k pounds(3-6k) in women aged 80+ [men 35k pounds (25-46k)]. With 15 mg GC, these figures were 17k pounds (14-21k), 13k pounds (10-16k) and 15k pounds (9-26k) in women and 22k pounds (17-26k), 34 pounds (23-53k) and 33k pounds (27-42k) in men, respectively. When stratifying by overall fracture risk and life expectancy at the start of GC therapy, cost per QALY increased with decreasing life expectancy. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis had comparatively better cost-effectiveness, given higher fracture risk and better life expectancy. CONCLUSIONS The cost-effectiveness of bisphosphonates varied substantially. Bisphosphonates can be considered cost-effective in patients with higher fracture risks, such as elderly patients (with a life expectancy over 5 yrs), and younger patients with a fracture history, low body mass index, rheumatoid arthritis or using high GC doses.
Pathogenic Yet Environmentally Friendly? Black Fungal Candidates for Bioremediation of Pollutants

ABSTRACT A collection of 163 strains of black yeast-like fungi from the CBS Fungal Biodiversity Center (Utrecht, The Netherlands), has been screened for the ability to grow on hexadecane, toluene and polychlorinated biphenyl 126 (PCB126) as the sole carbon and energy source. These compounds were chosen as representatives of relevant environmental pollutants. A microtiter plate-based culture assay was set up in order to screen the fungal strains for growth on the selected xenobiotics versus glucose, as a positive control. Growth was observed in 25 strains on at least two of the tested substrates. Confirmation of substrate assimilation was performed by cultivation on closed vials and analysis of the headspace composition with regard to the added volatile substrates and the generated carbon dioxide. Exophiala mesophila (CBS 120910) and Cladophialophora immunda (CBS 110551), both of the order Chaetothyriales and isolated from a patient with chronic sinusitis and a polluted soil sample, respectively, showed the ability to grow on toluene as the sole carbon and energy source. Toluene assimilation has previously been described for C. immunda but this is the first account for E. mesophila. Also, this is the first time that the capacity to grow on alkylbenzenes has been demonstrated for a clinical isolate. Assimilation of toluene could not be demonstrated for the human opportunistic pathogen Pseudoallescheria boydii (CBS 115.59, Microascales), but the results from microtiter plate assays suggest that strains of this species are promising candidates for further studies. The outstanding abilities of black yeast-like fungi to thrive in extreme environments makes them ideal agents for the bioremediation of polluted soils, and for the treatment of contaminated gas streams in biofilters. However, interrelations between hydrocarbonoclastic and potentially pathogenic strains need to be elucidated in order to avoid the possibility of biohazards occurring.
Do Industries Explain Momentum

This paper documents a strong and prevalent momentum effect in industry components of stock returns which accounts for much of the individual stock momentum anomaly. Specifically, momentum investment strategies, which buy past winning stocks and sell past losing stocks, are significantly less profitable once we control for industry momentum. By contrast, industry momentum investment strategies, which buy stocks from past winning industries and sell stocks from past losing industries, appear highly profitable, even after controlling for size, book-to-market equity, individual stock momentum, the cross-sectional dispersion in mean returns, and potential microstructure influences. Copyright The American Finance Association 1999.
Cancer/testis (CT) antigens, carcinogenesis and spermatogenesis

During spermatogenesis, spermatogonial stem cells, undifferentiated and differentiated spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids and spermatozoa all express specific antigens, many of which transiently, yet the functions of many of these antigens remain unexplored. Studies in the past three decades have shown that many of these transiently expressed genes in developing germ cells during spermatogenesis are proto-oncogenes and oncogenes, which are expressed only in the testis and various types of cancers in both humans and rodents. As such, these antigens are designated cancer/testis antigens (CT antigens). Since the early 1980s, about 70 families of CT antigens have been identified with over 140 members are known to date. Due to their restricted expression in the testis and in various tumors in humans, they have been used as the target of immunotherapy, and multiple clinical trials at different phases are being conducted with some promising results. Interestingly, in a significant number of cancer patients, antibodies against some of these CT antigens were detected in their sera. However, antibodies against these CT antigens in humans under normal physiological conditions have yet to be reported even though many of these antigens are residing outside of the blood-testis barrier (BTB), such as in the basal compartment of the seminiferous epithelium and in the stem cell niche in the testis. In this review, we summarize latest findings in the field regarding several selected CT antigens which may be intimately related to spermatogenesis due to their unusual restricted expression during different discrete events of spermatogenesis, such as cell cycle progression, meiosis, and spermiogenesis. This information should be helpful to investigators in the field to study the roles of these oncogenes in spermatogenesis.
FLOCKING BY THE FUSION OF SONAR AND ACTIVE INFRARED SENSORS ON PHYSICAL AUTONOMOUS MOBILE ROBOTS

In this paper we present a group of small autonomous mobile robots which are equipped with simple ultrasonic sonar for detecting obstacles and an active infrared communication and localisation system. The infrared system can be used for both transferring information between the robots and finding the relative positions of the other robots with respect to each other. By fusing the information from these two different sensors the robots have been programmed to flock using a simple reactive architecture.