Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional outcome of rehabilitated bilateral lower limb amputees

The functional outcome of rehabilitated bilateral lower limb amputees was studied. The study included 31 amputees who were admitted during 1980–1990 to a rehabilitation centre in the north of the Netherlands. The clinical notes made during the patients' admission were studied to obtain information about their characteristics, while mobility and prosthetic use were studied at discharge. The patients who were alive and willing to participate in the study were interviewed by a physician at their residence in November 1992, using among other things, the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) and the Life Satisfaction questionnaire. Some 25 of the 31 patients were amputated for vascular reasons, 1 patient primarily for traumatic reasons and secondarily for vascular reasons, 5 patients for traumatic reasons. Eight patients had a bilateral trans-femoral amputation, 18 patients a bilateral trans-tibial amputation, 2 patients a combination of transtibial and knee-disarticulation amputation, 3 patients a trans-femoral/trans-tibial amputation. Mean age at second amputation was 66.3 years. Of the 31 amputees 21 were men and 10 women, 25 amputees were prosthetically rehabilitated during admission, 3 of them died during admission and 5 did not achieve mobility at discharge. In their activities of daily life 22 of the 28 patients alive at discharge were almost independent. At the time of the follow-up evaluation 17 of the 31 patients had died. For several reasons only 8 patients could be included in the follow-up, 6 vascular amputees and 2 traumatic amputees. Six of the 8 patients were prosthetically rehabilitated at discharge, but only 2 of them used their prosthesis at the time of follow-up, 1 vascular and 1 traumatic amputee. The SIP showed high levels of impairment for ambulation, mobility, body care/movement, work and home mqnagement. In the Life Satisfaction questionnaire all patients reported to be rather satisfied to very satisfied with life.
The Boycott Puzzle: Consumer Motivations for Purchase Sacrifice

A boycott is never far from a firm's exchanges with its customers. Researchers in marketing need to understand consumer protest behavior, both to aid nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) who wish to organize boycotts, and to assist managers who wish to develop appropriate strategic responses. Boycotts, like many other instances of collective action, are subject to free-rider and small-agent problems: there appears to be little or no motivation for an individual to participate. Yet they assuredly occur. We take an economic and psychological approach to the study of boycotts. Our approach is to develop a typology of motivations for consumer boycotts, to embed these motivations explicitly in a dynamic economic model, and thus to offer explanations for the extent of boycott participation.
Reviewing the Concept of Green HRM (GHRM) and Its Application Practices (Green Staffing) with Suggested Research Agenda: A Review from Literature Background and Testing Construction Perspective

Green HRM has become one of the most critical topics in the Business world and sustainability. Many researchers and studies indicate that environmental green staffing associated strongly with the success of financial and marketplace components. The Green Human resource in green-oriented organisations plays a significant part in shaping the culture of suitability in their organisation. Shaping the practices and applications of the HR with the green view and applications will have an effect on all HR decisions and through all the activity of shareholders viewpoint. Currently, all the work gives more attention to the relationship between GHRM and organisation sustainability. GHRM help in creating, developing and implementing the strategy of sustainable business within the organisation. Although green HRM is still with ground-breaking, unclear define concept and its applications facing some difficulties. The purposes of this study in to present a full theoretical framework for GHRM practices and to test the perspective of the GHRM concept in construction companies in Egypt and the UK. The main finding is the perspective of the UK is higher than Egypt in realizing GHRM important to the organisations.
The Obstacles to ICT Implementation in the Kindergarten Environment: Kindergarten Teachers’ Beliefs

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to identify the obstacles to information and communication technology (ICT) implementation in the kindergarten environment through exploring the beliefs of kindergarten teachers. Thirty Israeli kindergarten teachers participated in semistructured interviews. Their content analysis revealed three main obstacle-related categories, of which the first two are most salient: (1) pedagogically, despite acknowledgment of its value, ICT does not play a key role in the kindergarten teachers’ education philosophy; (2) didactically, ICT is used mainly as a source of information and for instructional illustration, rather than as a means to new teaching strategies; and (3) developmentally, computer use affects children’s social development, especially those with special needs, but not always positively. The main conclusion is that kindergarten teachers neither overcome these obstacles nor utilize ICT potential to its fullest; hence, teachers should be encouraged to participate in ICT-related professional training to understand the didactic opportunities ICT offers early childhood education and its developmentally related pros and cons and adopt innovative ICT-related pedagogies.
Probing Spectral Line Gradients beyond One Effective Radius in NGC 3610

The outer region [(0.75–1.25)re in the B band] of the merger remnant elliptical galaxy NGC 3610 is studied using extremely high signal-to-noise ratio Keck spectra, with a supplementary spectrum of the galaxy center. Stellar population parameters—age, [Z/H], and [α/Fe]—are measured in several apertures along the slit. Using the multi-index simultaneous fitting method of R. Proctor and coauthors, no significant stellar population gradients are detected in the outer parts of the galaxy. The overall gradients relative to the galaxy center are consistent with those found in many other early-type galaxies, although the metallicity gradient is much steeper than would be expected if NGC 3610 formed in a major merger event. Standard analysis methods that use the Hβ index are found to produce spurious radially variable gradients.
Comments on the size of the simulation box in cosmological N‐body simulations

N-body simulations are a very important tool in the study of the formation of large-scale structures. Much of the progress in understanding the physics of the high-redshift universe and comparison with observations would not have been possible without N-body simulations. Given the importance of this tool, it is essential to understand its limitations, as ignoring the limitations can easily lead to interesting but unreliable results. In this paper we study the limitations arising out of the finite size of the simulation volume. This finite size implies that modes larger than the size of the simulation volume are ignored and a truncated power spectrum is simulated. If the simulation volume is large enough then the mass in collapsed haloes expected from the full power spectrum and from the truncated power spectrum should match. We propose a quantitative measure based on this approach that allows us to compute the minimum box size for an N-body simulation. We find that the required box size for simulations of the ACDM model at high redshifts is much larger than is typically used. We can also use this approach to quantify the effect of perturbations at large scales for power-law models and we find that if we fix the scale of non-linearity, the required box size becomes very large as the index becomes small. The appropriate box size computed using this approach is also an appropriate choice for the transition scale when tools like MAP, which add the contribution of the missing power, are used.
Regularized phase alignment precoding for the MISO downlink

With the knowledge of both channel and data information at the base station prior to downlink transmission, we can increase the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each user without the need to increase the transmitted power. Achievability is based on the idea of phase alignment (PA) precoding where instead of removing the destructive interference, it judiciously rotates the phases of the transmitted symbols. In this way, for each user, the received interference from the other users add up coherently, and consequently we can glean higher received SNRs at all mobile terminals. In addition, it is well-known that the regularized channel inversion (RCI) improves the performance of channel inversion (CI). In line with this and similar to the RCI precoding, in this paper we propose the idea of regularized PA (RPA) which is shown to improve the performance of original PA precoding. To do so, we first rectify the original PA precoding by deriving a closed-form expression of its scaling factor. We then use this new analysis to select an appropriate regularization factor for the proposed RPA scheme. Finally, we drive an explicit formula regarding its received SNR. Since the focus of this work is on linear precoders, we show that the proposed RPA precoding outperforms CI, RCI, and PA precoders from both symbol-error rate (SER) and sum rate perspectives. We also consider the performance of RPA under imperfect channel state information at transmit side. We show that even in this case, RPA precoding is as sensitive as other linear precoders to channel imperfections.
Children's Posture and Muscle Activity at Different Computer Display Heights and During Paper Information Technology Use

Objective: The 3-D posture and muscle activity in the neck and upper limb were assessed in children using high-, mid-, and book-level displays, which correspond to working conditions frequently observed when children interact with computers or books and paper. Background: The 3-D posture and muscle activity of children reading and inputting data with computers and paper had not been previously assessed. Methods: Twenty-four children aged 10 to 12 years and of normal height performed an interactive task involving reading from a book and writing on paper or reading from a computer display and inputting data using a mouse and keyboard. Results: Head and neck flexion increased as the visual target was lowered. The high display resulted in mainly upper cervical relative extension, and the book display resulted in both upper and lower cervical flexion. The book condition resulted in greater cervical erector spinae and upper trapezius activity than did the mid and high conditions. Conclusion: The data suggest that a mid-level display may be more appropriate for children than a high display (e.g., when the display is placed on top of the central processing unit). The mid display also results in a more upright and symmetrical posture and lower mean muscle activity than does working with books and paper flat on the desk. Application: This study provides short-term laboratory study evidence for the formulation of guidelines for workstation design and adjustment for children. Use of computers by children is increasing, yet ergonomic guidelines lag behind those for adults.
Equilibrium and Efficient Land-Use Arrangements under Spatial Externality on a Lattice

Many cases of externalities in agricultural production, such as pesticide drift, cross-pollination, and offensive odors, are attributable to the incompatibility of neighboring land uses and exhibit distance dependence. We characterize equilibrium spatial patterns of externality-generating and -receiving land uses on a two-dimensional lattice with noncooperative, profit-maximizing producers. In equilibrium, generators or recipients form one or more neighborhoods with certain geometric properties, depending on how an externality dissipates with distance and whether there is an externality generated outside the region's boundaries. Efficient land-use arrangements maximize social welfare subject to the implementability constraints stipulating that no farm-level activity, except for land use, can be directly controlled by the social planner. We characterize efficient land-use arrangements when the return to recipient land use decreases linearly with the length of the border shared with incompatible land uses. Under these assumptions, we find circumstances in which an efficient activity arrangement belongs to the set of the Nash equilibrium outcomes. Also, efficient arrangements in a more general case are discussed.
Generation of a Precise Roadway Map for Autonomous Cars

This paper proposes a map generation algorithm for a precise roadway map designed for autonomous cars. The roadway map generation algorithm is composed of three steps, namely, data acquisition, data processing, and road modeling. In the data acquisition step, raw trajectory and motion data for map generation are acquired through exploration using a probe vehicle equipped with GPS and on-board sensors. The data processing step then processes the acquired trajectory and motion data into roadway geometry data. GPS trajectory data are unsuitable for direct roadway map use by autonomous cars due to signal interruptions and multipath; therefore, motion information from the on-board sensors is applied to refine the GPS trajectory data. A fixed-interval optimal smoothing theory is used for a refinement algorithm that can improve the accuracy, continuity, and reliability of road geometry data. Refined road geometry data are represented into the B-spline road model. A gradual correction algorithm is proposed to accurately represent road geometry with a reduced amount of control parameters. The developed map generation algorithm is verified and evaluated through experimental studies under various road geometry conditions. The results show that the generated roadway map is sufficiently accurate and reliable to utilize for autonomous driving.
The Stability of the Relation between the Stock Market and Macroeconomic Forces

This paper identifies the macroeconomic factors that influence Italian equity returns and tests the stability of their relation with securities returns. In the sixteen-year period that has been analyzed the relation between stock returns and the macroeconomic factors is found to be highly unstable: not only are the betas of individual securities virtually uncorrelated over time, but a high percentage of the shares experience a reversal of the sign of the estimated loadings. This result is not confined to single periods or to a small group of shares, but holds in different sub-periods and for securities in all risk classes. These findings suggest that empirical analysis of asset pricing should carefully investigate the specification of the return generating process and the stability of the risk measures.
Commitment Problems and the Spread of Ethnic Conflict

IF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS among the major powers turn hideously ugly in the next twenty years it will be a simple matter to use hindsight to show how this was "inevitable. " Frightening analogies to the 1920s and 1930s can be spun out. A protracted, costly war has ended with the collapse of one of the combatants, its economy ruined and chaotic, its people resentful and ripe for mobilization by authoritarian demagogues who can easily argue for restoring national pride by means of expansion—Weimar Russia, as some have termed it. The largely pathetic response of the Western states through NATO and the UN to Serbian aggression in Croatia and Bosnia has already recalled the impotence and incoherence of the League of Nations. And for a time the major powers' reactions to "the Third Balkan war" produced divisions reminiscent of older alignments that might conceivably foreshadow a return to insecurity in Western Europe. Russia, France, and Britain have tended to favor Serbia while Germany and the United States have leaned toward Croatia. ' Continuing the analogy, the principle of national self-determination remains as powerful and problematic today as it was in the 1920s and 1930s. No one seriously questions the principle, 2 but in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe after communism, "self-determination" strongly pursued would seem to imply an endless succession of irredentist and secessionist wars, state repression of minorities, ethnic cleansing, enormous numbers of refugees and attendant problems, and perhaps fertile grounds for escalation to major-power conflict. In the 1930s, according to some, Chamberlain 'and company's acceptance of the principle of self-determination deeply influenced their initial response to Hitler's expansionist program (Taylor 1961, 189). In responding to diverse ethnic conflicts and nationalisms to the East, the Western powers have been similarly torn between the desire for peace and stable borders on the one hand, and acceptance
Two remarks on the generalised Korteweg de-Vries equation

We make two observations concerning the generalised Korteweg de Vries equation $u_t + $uxxx$ = \mu ( |u|^{p-1} u )_x$. Firstly we give a scaling argument that shows, roughly speaking, that any quantitative scattering result for $L^2$-critical equation ($p=5$) automatically implies an analogous scattering result for the $L^2$-critical nonlinear Schrodinger equation $iu_t + $uxx$ = \mu |u|^4 u$. Secondly, in the defocusing case $\mu > 0$ we present a new dispersion estimate which asserts, roughly speaking, that energy moves to the left faster than the mass, and hence strongly localised soliton-like behaviour at a fixed scale cannot persist for arbitrarily long times.
A highly-parallel formulation of quantum computing simulation through fine-grained dataflow

Quantum Computing lies at the frontier of computing, offering a radically different and unconventional model of computation. In the absence of practical quantum computers today, we must simulate their execution. This creates a performance problem, as quantum computing simulation is very costly. However, quantum computing simulation does contain an abundance of parallelism. The research question becomes: how to expose this parallelism? Although it is easy to show the problem inherently contains a large amount of parallelism, the type of parallelism is non-trivial to exploit in a scalable way using current mainstream parallelization techniques. This paper presents the formulation a virtual machine for quantum computing as a finegrained dataflow schema, which aims to expose and exploit the abundance of parallelism in a way that avoids the observed scalability issues. We present the formal mapping from the linear algebra description of elementary quantum operations to dataflow graphs, analyze its theoretical parallel characteristics and present experimental performance results of a prototype implementation.
3D-viscous flow simulation and performance prediction of a complete model francis turbine

The Navier-Stokes flow analysis has been applied to successfully predicted flow characteristics and energy losses in different hydraulic turbine components. It has been used to design and optimize hydraulic turbine components. In this paper, the three-dimensional viscous flow is simulated through the whole flow passage of the model Francis turbine. The whole flow passage includes spiral case, distributor, runner and draft tube. The simulation is based on Navier-Stokes equations, the standard k-ε turbulence model and the SIMPLEC algorithm, which is applied for the solution of the discrete governing equations. The velocity and pressure distribution through the whole flow passage of the model Francis turbine is attained. The energy property of the model turbine is then predicted and compared with the experimental datum.
Handover Latency Analysis of a Network-Based Localized Mobility Management Protocol

Recently, the IETF NETLMM working group is standardizing a network-based localized mobility management (NETLMM) protocol called proxy mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6), yet the research on NETLMM is still in its early stage while it has attracted a fair amount of critical attention both in the telecommunication and the Internet communities. Unlike previous host-based mobility management protocols such as mobile IPv6 (MIPv6), hierarchical mobile IPv6 (HMIPv6), and fast handover for mobile IPv6 (FMIPv6), PMIPv6 has salient features and is expected to expedite the real deployment of IP mobility support protocol by using only collaborative operations between the network entities without mobile node (MN) being involved. In this paper, we analyze and compare the handover latency of PMIPv6 with those of the various existing host-based IP mobility management protocols. In addition, we show good efficacy of the desirable features and key strengths of PMIPv6. Numerical results demonstrate that (1) the handover latency of PMIPv6 is much lower than those of MlPv6 and HMIPv6, and (2) the handover latency of PMIPv6 becomes lower than that of FMIPv6 in case the wireless link delay is greater than the delay between mobile access gateway (MAG) and local mobility anchor (LMA).
HIV/STD risk reduction interventions for African American and Latino adolescent girls at an adolescent medicine clinic: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Adolescent girls in the United States and around the world are at a heightened risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of a skill-based HIV/STD risk-reduction intervention in reducing self-reported unprotected sexual intercourse among African American and Latino adolescent girls. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial with 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Sexually experienced African American and Latino adolescent girls recruited from the adolescent medicine clinic of a children's hospital serving a low-income inner-city community (N = 682, mean age, 15.5 years); 88.6% were retained at the 12-month follow-up. INTERVENTIONS Three 250-minute interventions based on cognitive-behavioral theories and elicitation research: an information-based HIV/STD intervention provided information necessary to practice safer sex; a skill-based HIV/STD intervention provided information and taught skills necessary to practice safer sex; or a health-promotion control intervention concerned with health issues unrelated to sexual behavior. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome measure was self-reported frequency of unprotected sexual intercourse; secondary outcomes included the frequency of sexual intercourse while intoxicated, the number of sexual partners, biologically confirmed STDs, and theoretical mediator variables, including the intention to use condoms, beliefs about using condoms, and condom-use knowledge. RESULTS No differences between the information intervention and the health control intervention were statistically significant. Skills-intervention participants (mean [SE], 2.27 [0.81]) reported less unprotected sexual intercourse at the 12-month follow-up than did information-intervention participants (mean [SE], 4.04 [0.80]; P = .03), or health control-intervention participants (mean [SE], 5.05 [0.81]; P = .002). At the 12-month follow-up, skills-intervention participants (mean [SE], 0.91 [0.05]) reported fewer sexual partners (P = .04) compared with health control-intervention participants (mean [SE], 1.04 [0.05]) and were less likely to test positive for STD (mean [SE], 10.5% [2.9%]) than were health control-intervention participants (mean [SE], 18.2% [2.8%]; P = .05). No differences in the frequency of unprotected sexual intercourse, the number of partners, or the rate of STD were observed at the 3- or 6-month follow-up between skill-intervention participants and information-intervention or health control-intervention participants. CONCLUSION Skill-based HIV/STD interventions can reduce sexual risk behaviors and STD rate among African American and Latino adolescent girls in clinic settings.