Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of web 2.0 technologies for developing online telehealth systems

Telehealth and telecare applications are a promising technology for improving the quality of care while using healthcare resources more effectively. Major obstacles to a more widespread use are the high initial costs and a vendor specific design, which makes it difficult and expensive to add new functionalities. The Internet offers an opportunity to make telehealth applications more accessible, while also adding social aspects and the opportunity for third-party developers to add content. A preliminary user study confirmed that elderly are interested in such an application, and provided guidelines for the user interface design and required functionalities. In this paper, we evaluate technologies for developing online telehealth platforms, and present a first prototype which is extendable and has social networking capabilities. Our results show that a combination of open web standards such as OpenSocial and a CMS such as Drupal represents a suitable design. We illustrate the capabilities of our design and prototype by developing a memory game, which can be submitted by third party developers, similar to a Facebook application, and which utilises the social context of our telehealth application.
Receptivity to Bariatric Surgery in Qualified Patients

Objectives. Bariatric surgery has been shown to be an effective intervention for weight loss and diabetes management. Despite this, many patients qualified for bariatric surgery are not interested in undergoing the procedure. The objective of this study is to determine the factors influencing receptivity to bariatric surgery among those who qualify for the procedure. Methods. Patients attending a publicly funded weight management clinic who qualified for bariatric surgery were asked to complete an elective questionnaire between February 2013 and April 2014. Results. A total of 371 patients (72% female) completed the questionnaire. Only 87 of 371 (23%) participants were interested in bariatric surgery. Individuals interested in bariatric surgery had a higher BMI (48.0 versus 46.2 kg/m2, P = 0.03) and believed that they would lose more weight with surgery (51 versus 44 kg, P = 0.0069). Those who scored highly on past weight loss success and financial concerns were less likely to be interested in bariatric surgery, whereas those who scored highly on high receptivity to surgery and positive social support were more likely to be interested in bariatric surgery. Conclusion. Although participants overestimated the effect of bariatric surgery on weight loss, most were still not interested in bariatric surgery.
Observation of Static Pictures of Dynamic Actions Enhances the Activity of Movement-Related Brain Areas

Background Physiological studies of perfectly still observers have shown interesting correlations between increasing effortfulness of observed actions and increases in heart and respiration rates. Not much is known about the cortical response induced by observing effortful actions. The aim of this study was to investigate the time course and neural correlates of perception of implied motion, by presenting 260 pictures of human actions differing in degrees of dynamism and muscular exertion. ERPs were recorded from 128 sites in young male and female adults engaged in a secondary perceptual task. Principal Findings Our results indicate that even when the stimulus shows no explicit motion, observation of static photographs of human actions with implied motion produces a clear increase in cortical activation, manifest in a long-lasting positivity (LP) between 350–600 ms that is much greater to dynamic than less dynamic actions, especially in men. A swLORETA linear inverse solution computed on the dynamic-minus-static difference wave in the time window 380–430 ms showed that a series of regions was activated, including the right V5/MT, left EBA, left STS (BA38), left premotor (BA6) and motor (BA4) areas, cingulate and IF cortex. Conclusions and Significance Overall, the data suggest that corresponding mirror neurons respond more strongly to implied dynamic than to less dynamic actions. The sex difference might be partially cultural and reflect a preference of young adult males for highly dynamic actions depicting intense muscular activity, or a sporty context.
The Axis-Ratio Distribution of Galaxy Clusters in the SDSS-C4 Catalog as a New Cosmological Probe

We analyze the C4 catalog of galaxy clusters from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to investigate the axis-ratio distribution of the projected two-dimensional cluster profiles. We consider only those objects in the catalog whose virial mass is close to 1014 h-1 M☉, with member galaxies within the scale radius 1000 kpc. The total number of such objects turns out to be 336. We also derive a theoretical distribution by incorporating the effect of projection onto the sky into the analytic formalism proposed recently by Lee, Jing, & Suto. The theoretical distribution of the cluster axis ratios is shown to depend on the amplitude of the linear power spectrum (σ8) as well as the density parameter (Ωm). Finally, fitting the observational data to the analytic distribution with Ωm and σ8 as two adjustable free parameters, we find the best-fitting value of σ8 = (1.01 ± 0.09)(Ωm/0.6). It is a new σ8-Ωm relation, different from the previous one derived from the local abundance of X-ray clusters. We expect that the axis-ratio distribution of galaxy clusters, if combined with the local abundance of clusters, may put simultaneous constraints on σ8 and Ωm.
Drivers of Adoption of Internet-based Marketing Channels

This article analyses factors influencing manufacturers’ adoption of Internet-based marketing channels, using models based on marketing channel and organisational innovation theory. Survey data from 1163 Danish, Finnish, and Swedish manufacturers form the empirical basis for testing the models using LISREL analysis. The results stress that adoption of Internetbased marketing is influenced by willingness to cannibalise, management support, market pressure, and a firm’s knowledge of IT. Willingness to cannibalise mediates the effects of future market orientation, ownership, specialised investments, and management support. This is mainly the case in small and medium-sized firms, as the importance of the various drivers varies between size categories.
A Comparison of Statistical and Machine Learning Algorithms on the Task of Link Completion

Link data, consisting of a collection of subsets of entities, can be an important source of information for a variety of fields including the social sciences, biology, criminology, and business intelligence. However, these links may be incomplete, containing one or more unknown members. We consider the problem of link completion, identifying which entities are the most likely missing members of a link given the previously observed links. We concentrate on the case of one missing entity. We compare a variety of recently developed along with standard machine learning and strawman algorithms adjusted to suit the task. The algorithms were tested extensively on a simulated and a range of real-world data sets.
Numerical Study of the Magnetorotational Instability in Princeton MRI Experiment

In preparation for an experimental study of magnetorotational instability (MRI) in liquid metal, we present non-ideal axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the nonlinear evolution of MRI in the experimental geometry. The simulations adopt fully insulating boundary conditions. No-slip conditions are imposed at all boundaries. A clear linear phase is observed with reduced linear growth rate. MRI results in an inflowing “jet” near the midplane and enhances the angular momentum transport at saturation. Subject headings: accretion, accretion disks — instabilities — methods: numerical — MHD
Financial Statement Comparability: Benefits and Costs

This paper analyzes the benefits and costs of financial statement comparability from an information perspective. We first show analytically that comparability yields both information gains and losses because it enhances the correlation among firms' reported earnings ("common informativeness") at the expense of firms' own reporting precision ("individual informativeness"). We then provide theoretical justification for the comparability measure of De Franco, Kothari, and Verdi (2011) and show that it is negatively associated with implied volatility at annual earnings announcements. This result suggests that comparability, on average, improves earnings informativeness. More importantly, consistent with our model predictions, comparability's net information benefits decrease when firms' economic fundamentals are highly correlated and/or volatile. These results are robust to using financial crises and industry merger waves as instrumental variables for fundamental correlation and fundamental volatility, respectively. Overall, this paper provides a framework for studying comparability and highlights the potential information cost of increased comparability.
LIFEGUARD: practical repair of persistent route failures

The Internet was designed to always find a route if there is a policy-compliant path. However, in many cases, connectivity is disrupted despite the existence of an underlying valid path. The research community has focused on short-term outages that occur during route convergence. There has been less progress on addressing avoidable long-lasting outages. Our measurements show that long-lasting events contribute significantly to overall unavailability. To address these problems, we develop LIFEGUARD, a system for automatic failure localization and remediation. LIFEGUARD uses active measurements and a historical path atlas to locate faults, even in the presence of asymmetric paths and failures. Given the ability to locate faults, we argue that the Internet protocols should allow edge ISPs to steer traffic to them around failures, without requiring the involvement of the network causing the failure. Although the Internet does not explicitly support this functionality today, we show how to approximate it using carefully crafted BGP messages. LIFEGUARD employs a set of techniques to reroute around failures with low impact on working routes. Deploying LIFEGUARD on the Internet, we find that it can effectively route traffic around an AS without causing widespread disruption.
Optimal box-covering algorithm for fractal dimension of complex networks

The self-similarity of complex networks is typically investigated through computational algorithms, the primary task of which is to cover the structure with a minimal number of boxes. Here we introduce a box-covering algorithm that outperforms previous ones in most cases. For the two benchmark cases tested, namely, the E. coli and the World Wide Web (WWW) networks, our results show that the improvement can be rather substantial, reaching up to 15% in the case of the WWW network.
The ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC): in search of its identity and function

Protein traffic moving from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi complex in mammalian cells passes through the tubulovesicular membrane clusters of the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC), the marker of which is the lectin ERGIC-53. The dynamic nature and functional role of the ERGIC have been debated for quite some time. In the most popular current view, the ERGIC clusters are mobile transport complexes that deliver secretory cargo from ER-exit sites to the Golgi. Recent live-cell imaging data revealing the formation of anterograde carriers from stationary ERGIC-53-positive membranes, however, suggest a stable compartment model in which ER-derived cargo is first shuttled from ER-exit sites to stationary ERGIC clusters in a COPII-dependent step and subsequently to the Golgi in a second vesicular transport step. This model can better accommodate previous morphological and functional data on ER-to-Golgi traffic. Such a stationary ERGIC would be a major site of anterograde and retrograde sorting that is controlled by coat proteins, Rab and Arf GTPases, as well as tethering complexes, SNAREs and cytoskeletal networks. The ERGIC also contributes to the concentration, folding, and quality control of newly synthesized proteins.
Evolution of the Vertebrate Resistin Gene Family

Resistin (encoded by Retn) was previously identified in rodents as a hormone associated with diabetes; however human resistin is instead linked to inflammation. Resistin is a member of a small gene family that includes the resistin-like peptides (encoded by Retnl genes) in mammals. Genomic searches of available genome sequences of diverse vertebrates and phylogenetic analyses were conducted to determine the size and origin of the resistin-like gene family. Genes encoding peptides similar to resistin were found in Mammalia, Sauria, Amphibia, and Actinistia (coelacanth, a lobe-finned fish), but not in Aves or fish from Actinopterygii, Chondrichthyes, or Agnatha. Retnl originated by duplication and transposition from Retn on the early mammalian lineage after divergence of the platypus, but before the placental and marsupial mammal divergence. The resistin-like gene family illustrates an instance where the locus of origin of duplicated genes can be identified, with Retn continuing to reside at this location. Mammalian species typically have a single copy Retn gene, but are much more variable in their numbers of Retnl genes, ranging from 0 to 9. Since Retn is located at the locus of origin, thus likely retained the ancestral expression pattern, largely maintained its copy number, and did not display accelerated evolution, we suggest that it is more likely to have maintained an ancestral function, while Retnl, which transposed to a new location, displays accelerated evolution, and shows greater variability in gene number, including gene loss, likely evolved new, but potentially lineage-specific, functions.
User Expectations of Everyday Gaze Interaction on Smartglasses

Gaze tracking technology is increasingly seen as a viable and practical input modality in a variety of everyday contexts, such as interacting with computers, mobile devices, public displays and wearables (e.g. smartglasses). We conducted an exploratory study consisting of six focus group sessions to understand people's expectations towards everyday gaze interaction on smartglasses. Our results provide novel insights into the role of use-context and social conventions regarding gaze behavior in acceptance of gaze interaction, various social and personal issues that need to be considered while designing gaze-based applications and user preferences of various gaze-based interaction techniques. Our results have many practical design implications and serve towards human-centric design and development of everyday gaze interaction technologies.
Do Girls Make Boys Study? Gender Composition, Gender Role Culture, and Sense of Futility in Flemish Secondary Schools

This study examines whether the gender difference in sense of academic futility is related to the proportion of girls attending a school. We argue that the more progressive gender role culture in schools with a higher proportion of girls might influence especially boys’ sense of futility. Multilevel analyses of data gathered in 2014 from 5,162 second-grade students in 57 secondary schools in Flanders confirm a small but significant gender difference in sense of futility. The more girls at school, the less feelings of futility boys manifest. This impact can be explained by boys’ traditional gender role attitudes. For girls, the impact of gender composition, higher feelings of futility in schools with more girls, is buffered by girls’ progressive gender role attitudes. In schools with more girls, boys display lower levels of futility than girls. Finally, this impact of gender composition can be ascribed to the students’ educational track.
Book Review: The Doubting Disease: Help for Scrupulosity and Religious Compulsions

The terrain of scrupulosity is a complex labyrinth of fear and anxiety i~ which an individual is plagued hy rehgious, moral , and psychological indecision. The scrupulous person , preoccupied with the category of sin, sees sin where there is none, and entertains doubts whether previous sins, great or insignificant, real or imagined, have heen forgiven. Caught in a maze of uncertainty, such hyper-sensitive individuals live in a state of emotional anguish and spiritual paralysis. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 1.5 percent of the United States population meets the criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) , of which scrupulosity is a special subset, and 2.5 p~rce~t meet these criteria at some point m their lifetime. Given the prevalence of this condition, how can the pastoral profession effectively minister to those suffering from scruples and related religious obsessive-compulsive disorders? Joseph W. Ciarrocchi's study, T~e Doubting Disease: Help Jor Scrupulosity and Religious Compulsions, presents the most recent information on scruples and religion , and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The work is intended for persons in general ministry, and i.s especially helpful for those whose pnmary work is spiritual direction , pastoral counseling, or for those mental care professionals who attend to religious persons suffering from scruples and OCD. Ciarrocchi's dual background as a clinical psychologist specializing in compulsive behaviors and as an a~so­ ciate professor of pastoral counseling at Loyola College, Baltimore, provides this work with the necessary psychological and theological infrastructure to explore the pathology and possible
On the Minimum Distance of Turbo Codes With Quadratic Permutation Polynomial Interleavers

An interleaver is a critical component for the channel coding performance of turbo codes. Algebraic constructions are of particular interest because they admit analytical designs and simple, practical hardware implementations. Also, the recently proposed quadratic permutation polynomial (QPP)-based interleavers by Sun and Takeshita have provided excellent performance for short-to-medium block lengths, and have been selected for the 3GPP LTE standard. In this paper, we derive some upper bounds on the best achievable minimum distance dmin of QPP-based conventional binary turbo codes (with tailbiting termination, or dual termination when the interleaver length N is sufficiently large) that are tight for larger block sizes. In particular, we show that the minimum distance is at most 2(2v+1 + 9), independent of the interleaver length, when there exists an inverse polynomial of degree two, where v is the degree of the primitive feedback and monic feedforward polynomials. However, allowing the QPP to have no inverse polynomials of degree two may give strictly larger minimum distances (and lower multiplicities). In particular, we provide several QPPs with no quadratic inverse for some of the 3GPP LTE interleaver lengths giving a dmin with the 3GPP LTE constituent encoders which is strictly larger than 50. For instance, we have found a QPP for N = 6016 which gives an estimated dmin of 57. Furthermore, we provide the exact minimum distances and the corresponding multiplicities for all 3GPP LTE turbo codes (with dual termination) which shows that the best minimum distance is 51. Finally, we compute the best achievable minimum distances with QPP interleavers for all 3GPP LTE interleaver lengths N ≤ 4096, and compare these minimum distances with the ones we get when using the 3GPP LTE polynomials.
Is global warming injecting randomness into the climate system

Data analyses and model simulations have recently indicated that as the planet is warming, the chance for extreme events increases. Karl et al. [1995] examined precipitation records over the 20th century and showed that the high-frequency (up to interannual) variability has increased. Subsequently Tsonis [1996] showed that the low-frequency variability has also increased. These variability trends indicate that the frequency of extremes (more drought events and more heavy precipitation events) has increased whereas the mean has remained approximately the same. Such a tendency is observed with other variables and is consistent with model projections of a warmer planet.
Estimation of Truncated Data Samples in Operational Risk Modeling

This article addresses challenges of estimating operational risk regulatory capital when a loss sample is truncated from below at a data collection threshold. Recent operational risk literature reports that the attempts to estimate loss distributions by the maximum likelihood method are not always successful under the truncation approach that accounts for the existence of censored losses—the likelihood surface is sometimes ascending with no global solution. The literature offers an alternative called the shifting approach, which estimates the loss distribution without taking into account censored losses. We present a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of the global solution to the likelihood maximization problem under the truncation approach when the true loss distribution is lognormal, and derive a practically explicit expression for the global solution. We show by a simulation study that, as the sample size increases, the capital bias by the truncation approach declines while the bias by the shifting approach does not.
A simulation environment for volatility analysis of developed and in development markets

In this paper, a simulation of intelligent agents is developed to recreate the environment of negotiation of stock markets. The focus is analyze the behavior of movement/ fluctuation of stock markets. This movement can be captured by a measure called volatility, which is the difference between two stock prices in distinct periods. It characterizes the sensibility of a market change in the world economy. The contributions of this work are three-fold: (i) a simulation of dynamics of stock markets based in intelligent agents; (ii) based in this simulation an analysis of the volatility dynamic of the simulated time series; (iii) after that, a investigation about the relationship between the volatility of the markets, distribution of gain/loss money of agents and the coefficient of the exponential function based on the ideal gas theory of Maxwell-Boltzmann. This information can be used, for example, to predict the future behavior of the markets.
Trust in Internet Shopping: Instrument Development and Validation through Classical and Modern Approaches

Despite the phenomenal growth of Internet users in recent years, the penetration rate of Internet shopping is still low and one of the most often cited reasons is the lack of consumersâ€™ trust (e.g. Hoffman et al., 1999). Although trust is an important concept in Internet shopping, there is a paucity of theory-guided empirical research in this area. In this paper, a theoretical model is proposed for investigating the nature of trust in the specific context of Internet shopping. In this model, consumersâ€™ trust in Internet shopping is affected by propensity to trust and two groups of antecedent factors, namely, "trustworthiness of Internet vendors" and "external environment". Trust, in turn, reduces consumersâ€™ perceived risk in Internet shopping. As an important step towards the rigorous testing of the model, the necessary measurement instrument has been developed with its reliability and validity empirically tested. The psychometric properties of the measurement instrument have been investigated using both a classical approach (based on Cronbachâ€™s alpha and exploratory factor analysis) and a contemporary approach (based on structural equation modeling techniques), as a way of methods triangulation for validating instrument properties. The resulting instrument represents a rigorously developed and validated instrument for the measurement of various important trust related constructs. This research contributes to the development of trust theory in e-commerce and add to the repository of rigorous research instruments for IS survey researchers to use.