Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of imperfect quality items in the asymmetric information structure in supply chain model

Article history: Received March 2, 2017 Received in revised format October 10, 2017 Accepted November 3 2017 Available online November 3 2017 Most of the supply chain models have been developed under symmetric information structure i.e. players have complete knowledge of each other’s policies. But in most of the cases, players do not have complete information about the other players i.e. some information regarding their businesses is hidden. This paper studies supply chain model of imperfect quality items under asymmetric information in which unit price taken by the buyer and unit marketing expenditure are influencing product’s demand. This information is hidden to seller. The seller delivers the supply to the buyer. Each delivered lot goes through an inspection process at the buyer’s side. In the inspection process, the items are divided into two categories. The first category is perfect quality items while the second category is of imperfect quality items. After the inspecting the lots, the perfect quality commodities are to be sold at selling price and the imperfect items are supposed to get sold at a discounted price. The interaction between two constituents of the supply chain is modeled by non-cooperative Seller Stackelberg game approach in which the role of leader is played by the seller while the role of follower is played by the buyer. In our proposed model, the seller does not have information related to market demand but the buyer does. Numerical examples and sensitivity analysis explain the significance of the theory. Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 8 © 201
Developing Thoughts About What Might Have Been

Recent research has changed how developmental psychologists understand counterfactual thinking or thoughts of what might have been. Evidence suggests that counterfactual thinking develops over an extended period into at least middle childhood, depends on domain-general processes including executive function and language, and dissociates from counterfactual emotions such as regret. In this article, we review the developmental evidence that forms a critical but often-overlooked complement to the cognitive, social, and neuroscience literatures. We also highlight topics for further research, including spontaneous counterfactual thinking and counterfactual thinking in clinical settings. © 2014 The Society for Research in Child Development.
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One effective means of computing NP-hard problems is provided by fixed-parameter tractable (fpt-) algorithms. An fpt-algorithm is an algorithm whose running time is polynomial in the input size and superpolynomial only as a function of an input parameter. Provided that the parameter is small enough, an fpt-algorithm runs fast even for large inputs. In this paper, we report on an investigation of the evolvability of fpt-algorithms via Genetic Programming (GP). The problem used in this investigation is the NP-hard 2D-Euclidean Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), which is known to be fpt if the number of points not on the convex hull is taken as the parameter. The algorithm evolved in our GP study turns out to have clear characteristics of an fpt-algorithm. The results suggest GP can be utilized for generating fpt-algorithms for NP-hard problems in general, as well as for discovering input parameters that could be used to develop fpt-algorithms.
Which Version Should Be Released to App Store?

Background: Several mobile app releases do not find their way to the end users. Our analysis of 11,514 releases across 917 open source mobile apps revealed that 44.3% of releases created in GitHub never shipped to the app store (market). Aims: We introduce "marketability" of open source mobile apps as a new release decision problem. Considering app stores as a complex system with unknown treatments, we evaluate performance of predictive models and analogical reasoning for marketability decisions. Method: We performed a survey with 22 release engineers to identify the importance of marketability release decision. We compared different classifiers to predict release marketability. For guiding the transition of not successfully marketable releases into successful ones, we used analogical reasoning. We evaluated our results both internally (over time) and externally (by developers). Results: Random forest classification performed best with F1 score of 78%. Analyzing 58 releases over time showed that, for 81% of them, analogical reasoning could correctly identify changes in the majority of release attributes. A survey with seven developers showed the usefulness of our method for supporting real world decisions. Conclusions: Marketability decisions of mobile apps can be supported by using predictive analytics and by considering and adopting similar experience from the past.
Assessing the validity of indicators of the quality of maternal and newborn health care in Kenya

Background The measurement of progress in maternal and newborn health often relies on data provided by women in surveys on the quality of care they received. The majority of these indicators, however, including the widely tracked “skilled attendance at birth” indicator, have not been validated. We assess the validity of a large set of maternal and newborn health indicators that are included or have the potential to be included in population–based surveys. Methods We compare women’s reports of care received during labor and delivery in two Kenyan hospitals prior to discharge against a reference standard of direct observations by a trained third party (n = 662). We assessed individual–level reporting accuracy by quantifying the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) and estimated population–level accuracy using the inflation factor (IF) for each indicator with sufficient numbers for analysis. Findings Four of 41 indicators performed well on both validation criteria (AUC>0.70 and 0.75<IF<1.25). These were: main provider during delivery was a nurse/midwife, a support companion was present at birth, cesarean operation, and low birthweight infant (<2500 g). Twenty–one indicators met acceptable levels for one criterion only (11 for AUC; 9 for IF). The skilled birth attendance indicator met the IF criterion only. Interpretation Few indicators met both validation criteria, partly because many routine care interventions almost always occurred, and there was insufficient variation for robust analysis. Validity is influenced by whether the woman had a cesarean section, and by question wording. Low validity is associated with indicators related to the timing or sequence of events. The validity of maternal and newborn quality of care indicators should be assessed in a range of settings to refine these findings.
EVALUATION OF THE INTERCOM MODEL FOR PREDICTING GROWTH OF FOREST HERBS

The ecophysiological model INTERCOM was evaluated for its suitability in predicting the growth of perennial forest herbs. A field experiment was conducted to obtain data on photosynthesis and growth parameters of two spring flowering understorey geophytes. Results were used to parameterize the model and its performance was evaluated using the average normalized difference (AE) between predicted and observed biomass and the leaf area index. The model was assumed to provide accurate simulations if the AE was smaller than 0.4. Adjusting the photosynthetic intensity parameters in the model to reflect observed changes in photosynthesis throughout the growing period resulted in the accurate prediction of Scilla bifolia and Arum maculatum biomass (AE=0.13 and AE=0.021, respectively) and LAI (AE=-0.16 and AE=-0.08, respectively). Ecophysiological models may be useful tools for predicting the biomass accumulation of forest understorey species in response to varying environmental conditions, which could be useful for monitoring forest ecosystem health.
An Evaluative Study of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in PCOS

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome(PCOS) affects about ~5-10 % of women of reproductive age. PCOS is a complex disorder involving genetic and environmental factors. Metabolic complications associated with Insulin resistance are increased in PCOS including adverse cardiometabolic syndrome. This study aims at evaluating the correlation of cardiometabolic risk factors with Serum Insulin. In the present study,70 numbers of diagnosed cases of Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and 70 age matched healthy females participated as cases and controls respectively. Measurements were taken for assessment of Body mass index(BMI) and blood samples were collected for estimation of fasting plasma glucose, serum lipid profile and serum Insulin. Both the BMI and Blood pressures were found statistically significant in the study group compared to controls. Fasting plasma glucose(98 ± 15 Vs 85.7 ± 9 mg%), Insulin(12.1 ± 8.7 Vs 6.6 ± 2.5 μU/ml), HOMA-IR(7.7 ± 5.4 Vs 1.5 ± 0.9), Total cholesterol(189 ± 25.3 Vs 164 ± 9.1 mg%) and Triglycerides (130 ± 15 Vs 115 ± 24 mg%) were significantly higher in the study group compared to controls. BMI also showed positive correlation with Glucose, T.Cholesterol and Insulin levels. There was a significant positive correlation of Insulin values with those of Glucose, T.Cholesterol and LDL-C. Thus the increase in insulin values in PCOS can be considered as an important cause of future manifestations of Diabetes mellitus type II and Cardiometabolic complications. Keyword: Dyslipidemia, Metabolic Syndrome, Polycystic Ovary, Insulin Resistance.
Respiratory allergies in the elderly: findings from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging phase I study (2005–2006)

Population aging is a global issue, but is estimated to be more rapid and dramatic in Asian countries. In the past, allergy might have been a minor concern in the elderly (usually defined as ≥65 years). However, recent series of epidemiologic studies indicate that allergic diseases are more prevalent than expected in the aged population. Furthermore, they pose significant impact on quality of life and socioeconomic costs. The burden may also increase in the elderly, due to frequent comorbidities and treatment-related complications. The Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA) cohort study is one of major research projects on the epidemiology of common geriatric disease conditions in Korea. In this review, we summarized the baseline findings on the prevalence, risk factors, comorbidities and impact of geriatric respiratory allergic conditions in the phase I KLoSHA cohort study.
Mobile Sinks Assisted Geographic and Opportunistic Routing Based Interference Avoidance for Underwater Wireless Sensor Network

The distinctive features of acoustic communication channel-like high propagation delay, multi-path fading, quick attenuation of acoustic signal, etc. limit the utilization of underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs). The immutable selection of forwarder node leads to dramatic death of node resulting in imbalanced energy depletion and void hole creation. To reduce the probability of void occurrence and imbalance energy dissipation, in this paper, we propose mobility assisted geo-opportunistic routing paradigm based on interference avoidance for UWSNs. The network volume is divided into logical small cubes to reduce the interference and to make more informed routing decisions for efficient energy consumption. Additionally, an optimal number of forwarder nodes is elected from each cube based on its proximity with respect to the destination to avoid void occurrence. Moreover, the data packets are recovered from void regions with the help of mobile sinks which also reduce the data traffic on intermediate nodes. Extensive simulations are performed to verify that our proposed work maximizes the network lifetime and packet delivery ratio.
Efficient natural evolution strategies

Efficient Natural Evolution Strategies (eNES) is a novel alternative to conventional evolutionary algorithms, using the natural gradient to adapt the mutation distribution. Unlike previous methods based on natural gradients, eNES uses a fast algorithm to calculate the inverse of the exact Fisher information matrix, thus increasing both robustness and performance of its evolution gradient estimation, even in higher dimensions. Additional novel aspects of eNES include optimal fitness baselines and importance mixing (a procedure for updating the population with very few fitness evaluations). The algorithm yields competitive results on both unimodal and multimodal benchmarks.
The Effects of Perceived Risk and Cost on Technology Acceptance: A Study on Tourists’ Use of Online Booking

The aim of this study is to determine how tourists’ online booking sites related risk and cost perceptions affect their adoption level of this technology. In order to detect tourists’ adoption level, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was adapted to online reservation technology. In this context, relationships between perceived risk, perceived cost, and the variables of TAM which are perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and behavioral intentions were tested. The participants of the study were 242 Russian tourists visiting Antalya, which is an important touristic destination in Turkey. In the research, participants were determined with the convenience sampling method and the data was gathered through face to face survey method. In the analyses of relationships between and effects sizes of variables, Structural Equation Modeling was used. The results revealed that tourists’ risk perceptions about using online reservation technology have negative effects on TAM variables while cost perceptions have positive effects on these variables.
When is it Ethical to Inform Administrators about Student Risk-Taking Behaviors? Perceptions of School Counselors

School counselors from across the United States responded to a survey asking when they should break confidentiality and report student risk-taking behaviors to school administrators. Generally, counselors believed it to be more ethical to break confidentiality when the behaviors were directly observed (as opposed to reported by students) and when the behaviors occurred on school grounds during school hours. Results also suggest counselors were more willing to break confidentiality when their school had a written policy guiding their actions. All behaviors showed some variance among respondents, suggesting a lack of agreement regarding when it is appropriate to break confidentiality and report risk-taking behaviors to administrators. This article discusses implications and suggestions for school counselors.
Evolutionary stasis and lability in thermal physiology in a group of tropical lizards

Understanding how quickly physiological traits evolve is a topic of great interest, particularly in the context of how organisms can adapt in response to climate warming. Adjustment to novel thermal habitats may occur either through behavioural adjustments, physiological adaptation or both. Here, we test whether rates of evolution differ among physiological traits in the cybotoids, a clade of tropical Anolis lizards distributed in markedly different thermal environments on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. We find that cold tolerance evolves considerably faster than heat tolerance, a difference that results because behavioural thermoregulation more effectively shields these organisms from selection on upper than lower temperature tolerances. Specifically, because lizards in very different environments behaviourally thermoregulate during the day to similar body temperatures, divergent selection on body temperature and heat tolerance is precluded, whereas night-time temperatures can only be partially buffered by behaviour, thereby exposing organisms to selection on cold tolerance. We discuss how exposure to selection on physiology influences divergence among tropical organisms and its implications for adaptive evolutionary response to climate warming.
The organization of intrinsic computation: complexity-entropy diagrams and the diversity of natural information processing.

Intrinsic computation refers to how dynamical systems store, structure, and transform historical and spatial information. By graphing a measure of structural complexity against a measure of randomness, complexity-entropy diagrams display the different kinds of intrinsic computation across an entire class of systems. Here, we use complexity-entropy diagrams to analyze intrinsic computation in a broad array of deterministic nonlinear and linear stochastic processes, including maps of the interval, cellular automata, and Ising spin systems in one and two dimensions, Markov chains, and probabilistic minimal finite-state machines. Since complexity-entropy diagrams are a function only of observed configurations, they can be used to compare systems without reference to system coordinates or parameters. It has been known for some time that in special cases complexity-entropy diagrams reveal that high degrees of information processing are associated with phase transitions in the underlying process space, the so-called "edge of chaos. " Generally, though, complexity-entropy diagrams differ substantially in character, demonstrating a genuine diversity of distinct kinds of intrinsic computation.
Mitochondrial functional impairment with aging is exaggerated in isolated mitochondria compared to permeabilized myofibers

Mitochondria regulate cellular bioenergetics and apoptosis and have been implicated in aging. However, it remains unclear whether age‐related loss of muscle mass, known as sarcopenia, is associated with abnormal mitochondrial function. Two technically different approaches have mainly been used to measure mitochondrial function: isolated mitochondria and permeabilized myofiber bundles, but the reliability of these measures in the context of sarcopenia has not been systematically assessed before. A key difference between these approaches is that contrary to isolated mitochondria, permeabilized bundles contain the totality of fiber mitochondria where normal mitochondrial morphology and intracellular interactions are preserved. Using the gastrocnemius muscle from young adult and senescent rats, we show marked effects of aging on three primary indices of mitochondrial function (respiration, H2O2 emission, sensitivity of permeability transition pore to Ca2+) when measured in isolated mitochondria, but to a much lesser degree when measured in permeabilized bundles. Our results clearly demonstrate that mitochondrial isolation procedures typically employed to study aged muscles expose functional impairments not seen in situ. We conclude that aging is associated with more modest changes in mitochondrial function in sarcopenic muscle than suggested previously from isolated organelle studies.
SK channels participate in the formation of after burst hyperpolarization and partly inhibit the burst strength of epileptic ictal discharges

Epilepsy is a common disease of the central nervous system. Tetanic spasms and convulsions are the key symptoms exhibited during epileptic seizures. However, the majority of patients have a significant post-seizure silence following a serious seizure; the underlying molecular neural mechanisms in this burst interval are unclear. The aim of the present study was to reveal the effect and role of calcium-activated potassium channels during this seizure interval silence period. Cyclothiazide (CTZ) was used to establish the seizure model in rat hippocampal cultured neurons, then the after-burst hyperpolarization (ABH) activities were recorded using the patch clamp technique. By comparing the amplitude and duration of hyperpolarizations, the present study analyzed the association between epileptiform bursts and ABHs when treated with different concentrations of CTZ. In addition, apamin and iberiotoxin were used for pharmacological tests. An intracranial electroencephalogram (EEG) recording was also performed when the CTZ experiments were repeated on animals. The experimental results revealed that treatment with high levels of CTZ induced larger ABHs and was associated with stronger burst activities, which suggested a positive correlation between ABH and epileptiform burst. Apamin, an antagonist of small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels, decreased the amplitude of ABH; however, reduced ABH was associated with enhanced burst activity, in burst probability and burst strength. These results revealed an important role of SK channels in the formation of ABH and in the inhibition of burst activity. Iberiotoxin, an antagonist of big conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels, had no significant effect on ABH and burst activity. In addition, a positive correlation was identified between burst duration and ABH parameters. An intracellular calcium chelator impaired the amplitude of ABH; however, it did not affect the burst parameters. The rat cortical EEG recordings also exhibited a similar positive correlation between the duration of epileptic burst and after burst depression. Collectively, the results indicate that ABH may serve in the physiological feedback system to reduce the strength of epileptic hyperexcitation, a process in which SK channels are important.
Optimal superfluid management of 5G networks

We consider the problem of evaluating the performance of a 5G network based on reusable components, called Reusable Functional Blocks (RFBs), proposed by the Horizon 2020 SUPERFLUIDITY project. RFBs allow a high level of flexibility, agility, portability and high performance. After formally modelling the RFB entities and the network physical nodes, we optimally formulate the problem of maximizing different Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on an RFB-based network architecture, in which the RFBs are shared among the nodes, and deployed only where and when they are really needed. Our results, obtained by solving the proposed optimization problem over a simple yet representative scenario, show that the network can be managed in a very efficient way. More in depth, the RFBs are placed into the nodes in accordance with the amount of requested traffic from users and the specific pursued KPI, e.g., maximization of user throughput or minimization of the number of used nodes. Moreover, we evaluate the relationship between the capacity of each node and the number of RFBs deployed on it.
Experimental Research on Hollow-Ribbed Concrete Floor

The WFB cast-in-situ hollow-ribbed concrete floor,which composed by space beams and the prefabricated concrete box fillers,was analyzed.In order to study the flexural rigidity of this new structure,a WFB cast-in-situ hollow-ribbed concrete floor model of 9 m×9 m size had been tested.The FEM(finite element method) software ANSYS was used to analyze the two FEM models,one of which whole considered the prefabricated concrete box filler's rigidity while the other didn't.Depending on the load and deflection relation curve of the first FEM modules tallied with the load and deflection relation curve of the test,the mechanism of flexural rigidity for the WFB cast-in-situ hollow-ribbed concrete floor was set up.Two design methods of the structure and the method of calculating defection were given.