Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Capturing and modelling complex decision-making in the context of travel, time use and social interactions

The field of choice modelling is evolving rapidly, with ever more complex representations of heterogeneity and a growing interest in discrete-continuous models instead of just discrete choice. Rapid developments are also taking place in terms of new data sources, with a growing revival of revealed preference data instead of stated preference, notably in terms of ubiquitous data and longitudinal surveys. Against this backdrop of developments in choice modelling, there is also a growing recognition of the role of the social environment on behaviour, through the effect of close and far social network members, with social interactions increasingly relying on digital communication. This thesis makes contributions in all of these areas, and differently from previous research, which has often focussed on just one, attempts to jointly explore multiple dimensions. Relying exclusively on revealed preference data, the work provides important insights into how social networks evolve over time, how people within a network interact with each other, and how there are links between a person's social network and his/her activity scheduling. The empirical results provide valuable insights for researchers not just in transport, but also in other fields. The behaviour modelled in this thesis is complex, with heterogeneity in different dimensions, in terms of preferences as well as behavioural processes, at the person level as well as at the individual choice level. At the same time, many of the choices are not mutually exclusive and have a continuous dimension too. The work makes a number of modelling advances, in terms of facilitating the recovery of heterogeneity and in putting forward solutions that allow for a computationally tractable representation of correlation and complementarity in discrete continuous choice, both in estimation and forecasting. Ever more complex representations of behaviour rely on rich data. This thesis highlights the benefits of detailed real world datasets in this context, and provides important insights into the limitations of existing data sources. The thesis closes by introducing a rich unified data collection that can be used for choice modelling applications in different fields.
Leveraging Internet of Things within the military network environment — Challenges and solutions

The widespread adoption of IoT technologies will significantly affect many aspects of military operations. A growing number of battlefield assets will soon become networked entities, thanks to capillary and high density personal and environment sensors systems. The accurate and fine-grained information gathered could significantly benefit military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations, facilitate automated supply chain logistics, and facilitate urban operations in mega-city environments. To achieve these goals, research has to address several issues, such as reconciling the differences between commercial IoT architectural patterns and military network architectures, interoperability between different IoT systems, data processing and information management, and realization of resource-efficient IoT middleware solutions. The resource constrained tactical networking environment makes this research agenda particularly challenging but also pressing in terms of the need for novel middleware solutions.
Swift XRT Observation of 34 New INTEGRAL IBIS AGNs: Discovery of Compton-Thick and Other Peculiar Sources

For a significant number of the sources detected at high energies (>10 keV) by the INTEGRAL IBIS and Swift BAT instruments there is either a lack information about them in the 2-10 keV range or they are totally unidentified. Herein, we report on a sample of 34 IBIS AGNs or AGN candidate objects for which there is X-ray data in the Swift XRT archive. Thanks to these X-ray follow-up observations, the identification of the gamma-ray emitters has been possible and the spectral shape in terms of photon index and absorption has been evaluated for the first time for the majority of our sample sources. The sample, enlarged to include four more AGNs already discussed in the literature, has been used to provide photon index and column density distribution. We obtain a mean value of 1.88 with a dispersion of 0.12, i.e., typical of an AGN sample. Sixteen objects (47%) have column densities in excess of 1022 cm-2 and, as expected, a large fraction of the absorbed sources are within the Sey 2 sample. We have provided a new diagnostic tool (NH vs. F2-10 keV/F20-100 keV softness ratio) to isolate peculiar objects; we find at least one absorbed Sey 1 galaxy, three Compton-thick AGN candidates; and one secure example of a "true" type 2 AGN. Within the sample of 10 still unidentified objects, 3 are almost certainly AGNs of type 2; 3-4 have spectral slopes typical of AGN; and 2 are located high on the Galactic plane and are strong enough radio emitters that they can be considered good AGN candidates.
Medicare's Quality Improvement Organization Program Value in Nursing Homes

CMS operates the quality improvement organization (QIO) program to improve the quality of care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries. Although there have been several studies regarding the effectiveness of this program, there have not been studies regarding this program's value. This article seeks to answer the value question using cost-utility analysis. Although additional research is warranted, the results suggest that CMS' investment in the QIO program, estimated at $2,063 to $7,667 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained for nursing home quality improvement (QI) work, represents a good value for health care dollars.
Prevalence of Internet and Social Media Usage in Orthopedic Surgery

Prior studies in other specialties have shown that social networking and Internet usage has become an increasingly important means of patient communication and referral. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of Internet or social media usage in new patients referred to a major academic orthopedics center and to identify new avenues to optimize patient recruitment and communication. New patients were surveyed (n=752) between December 2012 to January 2013 in a major academic orthopaedic center to complete a 15-item questionnaire including social media and Internet usage information. Data was collected for all orthopaedic sub-specialties and statistical analysis was performed. Fifty percent of patients use social networking sites, such as Facebook. Sports medicine patients tend to be higher social networking users (35.9%) relative to other services (9.8-17.9%) and was statistically higher when compared to the joints/tumor service (P<0.0001). Younger age was the biggest indicator predicting the use of social media. Patients that travelled between 120 to 180 miles from the hospital for their visits were significantly more likely to be social media users, as were patients that did research on their condition prior to their new patient appointment. We conclude that orthopedic patients who use social media/Internet are more likely to be younger, researched their condition prior to their appointment and undergo a longer average day’s travel (120-180 miles) to see a physician. In an increasingly competitive market, surgeons with younger patient populations will need to utilize social networking and the Internet to capture new patient referrals.
Subject-verb agreement errors in French and English: The role of syntactic hierarchy

We report two parallel experiments conducted in French and in English in which we induced subject-verb agreement errors to explore the role of syntactic structure during sentence production. Previous studies have shown that attraction errors (i.e., a tendency of the verb to agree with an immediately preceding noun instead of with the subject of the sentence) occur when a preverbal local noun disagrees in number with the subject head noun. The attraction effect was accounted for either by the proximity of the local noun to the verb in the linearised sentence (linear distance hypothesis) or by the processing simultaneity of the head and local nouns situated in the same clause (clause packaging hypothesis). In the current experiments, speakers were asked to complete complex sentential preambles. Contrary to the predictions of these two hypotheses, we found that agreement errors were more frequent following an intermediate modifier (e.g., *The threat-S to the presidents-P of the company-S ARE serious) than an immediately preverbal modifier (e.g., *The threat-S to the president-S of the companies-P ARE serious). It is suggested that attraction is determined by the syntactic distance between the interfering noun and the head noun at a stage of the grammatical encoding of the sentence during which syntactic units are organised into a hierarchical structure.
USING CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES IN HISTORY LESSONS: VIEWS OF TURKISH HISTORY TEACHERS

The purpose of this paper is to determine the views of Turkish history teachers about teaching controversial issues. A qualitative approach was used in this study in order to gather data in response to the research questions, and the information itself was secured through a semi-structured interview. 20 history teachers who joined this study were chosen from the province of Trabzon through purposive sampling. In the light of the data, it seems that history teachers do not teach controversial issues; nor do they have either the education or skills to teach controversial issues in their history courses. TARIH DERSLERINDE TARTIŞMALI KONULARIN KULLANIMI: TURK TARIH OĞRETMENLERININ GORUŞLERI Bu calismanin amaci Turk tarih ogretmenlerinin tarih ogretiminde tartismali konularin ogretimine yonelik goruslerini ortaya koymaktir. Calismayla ilgili olarak belirlenen sorularin cevaplarini bulmak icin veriler nitel bir anlayisla elde edilmistir. Arastirmada veri toplama araci olarak yari yapilandirilmis mulakat kullanilmistir. Calismaya amacli orneklem yoluyla secilen ve Trabzon’da gorev yapan 20 tarih ogretmeni katilmistir. Elde edilen verilere dayali olarak calismaya katilan tarih ogretmenlerinin tartismali konularin ogretimine yonelik egitim ve becerilerinin olmadigi anlasilmaktadir. Buna ilaveten, ortaya cikan bir diger sonuc ise bu ogretmenlerin derslerinde tartismali konulari ogretmedikleridir.
Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Cocaine Users

Background and Purpose— Cocaine is a cause of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), but there are no large studies that have characterized the location, pathology, and outcome of patients with cocaine-associated ICH. Methods— We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to our stroke service from 2004 to 2007 who had nontraumatic ICH and urine drug screens positive for cocaine and compared them with similar patients who had negative drug screens for cocaine. Results— We identified 45 patients with cocaine-associated ICH and 105 patients with cocaine-negative ICH. There were no significant differences in age or gender, but there was a significantly higher incidence of black patients in the cocaine-positive group. Cocaine-associated ICH patients had higher admission blood pressures, significantly more subcortical hemorrhages, and higher rates of intraventricular hemorrhage compared to patients with cocaine-negative ICH. Cocaine-positive patients had worse functional outcome, defined as modified Rankin Scale score >3 at the time of discharge (OR, 4.90; 95% CI, 2.19–10.97), and were less likely to be discharged home or to inpatient rehabilitation. Patients with cocaine-associated ICH were nearly 3-times more likely to die during their acute hospitalization when compared to cocaine-negative patients. Conclusion— Recent cocaine ingestion is associated with hemorrhages that occur more frequently in subcortical locations, have a higher risk of intraventricular hemorrhage, and have a poor prognosis compared to patients with cocaine-negative, spontaneous ICH.
Unsupervised malignant mammographic breast mass segmentation algorithm based on pickard Markov random field

In this paper, we present a probabilistic approach to segmentation of malignant breast masses which have irregular shape, spiculated margins and which may be embedded in high density glandular tissue. First, we perform contrast enhancement of the image using a simple logarithmic transformation. Then, we derive a segmentation technique based on a specific class of Markov random fields (MRFs) known as Pickard random fields. As opposed to most MRF-based methods which require complex and time-consuming computations, our approach is simple, much faster and nearly unsupervised as it only requires specification of the number of levels on the MRF. Tests performed on 48 malignant masses extracted from the INbreast database revealed that the proposed approach yields superior results while being robust with respect to the high variability of mammograms.
Application of Social Media for Innovative Library Services in South-Western Nigerian University Libraries

The study investigated the application of social media used for innovative library services by university library staff in South-Western Nigeria. A survey method was adopted with copies of questionnaire distributed to 354 library staff selected from the entire 36 university libraries located in South Western Nigeria. An in-depth interview was also conducted for heads of units in each of the libraries. The findings of the study reveal that social media application to library services is now prominent among university library staff in South-Western Nigeria. Facebook, Twitter, Blog, YouTube, LinkedIn, Delicious, MySpace and Flickr are the social media being used by the library staff. Facebook was found to be the most used site. In addition, the study affirms that selected libraries are using social media majorly to communicate with their users, provide reference services, disseminate information as well as news on library services.
Improving international attractiveness of higher education institutions based on text mining and sentiment analysis

Purpose The increasing competition among higher education institutions (HEI) has led students to conduct a more in-depth analysis to choose where to study abroad. Since students are usually unable to visit each HEIs before making their decision, they are strongly influenced by what is written by former international students (IS) on the Internet. HEIs also benefit from such information online. This paper aims to provide an understanding of the drivers of HEIs success online. Design/methodology/approach Due to the increasing amount of information published online, HEIs have to use automatic techniques to search for patterns instead of analyzing such information manually. The present paper uses text mining and sentiment analysis to study online reviews of IS about their HEIs. The paper studied 1938 reviews from 65 different business schools with AACSB accreditation. Findings Results show that HEIs may become more attractive online if they financially support students cost of living, provide courses in Engli.
Prospective Areas for Intrusion-Related Gold-Quartz Veins in Southern British Columbia

Cretaceous granitic rocks can be traced the length of the northern Cordillera and are known for their association with tungsten and tin mineralization. In Alaska and Yukon the mid-Cretaceous Tombstone Suite intrusions are also associated with base metal-poor, gold-bismuth mineralization, including the Fort Knox (127.5 x 10 g Au), Dublin Gulch (35.7 x 10 g Au) and Brewery Creek deposits (28.7 x 10 g Au) (Figure 1). Similar, smaller intrusion-related gold-quartz vein occurrences (i.e. Valparaiso and Cam-Gloria) are located in southern British Columbia associated with the mid-Cretaceous Bayonne Suite (Logan, 2000). In contrast with the metaluminous, subalkalic, reduced I-type Tombstone S u i t e , t h e B a y o n n e s u i t e c o n s i s t s o f m o s t l y p e r a l u m i n o u s , s u b a l k a l i c h o r n b l e n d e b i o t i t e granodiorite and highly fractionated 2-mica granites, aplites and pegmatites. These, like there northern counterparts, are emplaced into miogeoclinal rocks of ancestral North America and the Shuswap and Kootenay terrane pericratonic rocks.
Muslims in Great Britain: the impact of mosque attendance on political behaviour and civic engagement

ABSTRACT Is mosque attendance associated with withdrawal from civic and political life and the endorsement of politically motivated violence (PMV)? We draw from a large multi-ethnic survey in the U.K. to answer this research question. Our analysis is unique in that we compare Muslims to Christians to show that mosques, just like churches, can enhance the civic and political participation of their adherents. Drawing from scholarship on religious institutions, social capital, and social identity, we claim and empirically show that mosque attendance is associated with increased electoral and non-electoral political participation, higher levels of civic engagement, and the rejection of PMV. Our findings not only advance the current scholarly understanding of the attitudes and behaviours of Muslims in the West, but also have important policy implications in that they help dispel stereotypical and sensationalist accounts of Mosques and their adherents in the post-Brexit U.K.
Documenting day-to-day variability in stuttering

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess whether a 350-syllable speech sample recorded once per day can document the day-to-day variability of stuttering. Method: Ten children and ten adults who stutter were recruited. Speech samples were recorded at their respective homes for five consecutive days. From the recorded speech samples, the middle 350 syllables were orthographically transcribed and two dependent measures (percentage of syllables stuttered & duration of stuttering moments) were calculated. Group comparisons between children and adults who stutter and within-subject variability in individual participant data across five days were carried out. Results: Results of the group analysis suggested there was no significant difference in the mean percentage of syllables stuttered across five days in both children and adults. There was no significant difference in the percentage of syllables stuttered between children and adults. A significant difference in the duration of stuttering moments across five days was noted between two groups. Conclusion: Overall, the results suggest that a 350-syllable speech sample obtained at the single point of time is not sufficient to document day-to-day variability in various aspects of stuttering.
Eigenvalue distribution for non-self-adjoint operators with small multiplicative random perturbations

In this work we continue the study of the Weyl asymptotics of the distribution of eigenvalues of non-self-adjoint (pseudo)differential operators with small random perturbations, by treating the case of multiplicative perturbations in arbitrary dimension. We were led to quite essential improvements of many of the probabilistic aspects.
Response to 223Ra-dichloride in castration-resistant prostate cancer with bone metastasis: A case report

Painful bone metastases are common in prostate cancer, with current treatments including non-steroidal analgesics and opiates, surgery, external beam radiotherapy and bone-targeting β-emitting radiopharmaceuticals. The α-emitting isotope 223Ra-dichloride (Ra-223) has been associated with improved overall survival and increased time to first skeletal-related events in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) presenting with symptomatic bone metastases. The current study reports the case of a 70-year-old male patient, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1999 upon presentation with increased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and painful bone metastases in the context of CRPC. In November 2010, subsequent to undergoing hormonal blockage, the patient was treated with ketoconazole (200 mg/8 h) followed by 10 cycles of docetaxel (75 mg/m2 every 3 weeks). Following disease progression, the patient received 6 doses of Ra-223 (50 kBq/kg; 1 dose/4 weeks). During this treatment period, an improvement in the patient's symptoms, and levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and PSA were noted. Furthermore, Ra-223 was well-tolerated without any relevant bone marrow toxicity. However, 2 months after the administration of the final dose of Ra-223, PSA and BAP levels increased again, and bone pain deteriorated. A bone scan showed stable disease in the previously observed metastatic lesions; however, new lesions simultaneously appeared in different locations, indicating progressive disease.
RNAi Silencing of the HaHMG-CoA Reductase Gene Inhibits Oviposition in the Helicoverpa armigera Cotton Bollworm

RNA interference (RNAi) has considerable promise for developing novel pest control techniques, especially because of the threat of the development of resistance against current strategies. For this purpose, the key is to select pest control genes with the greatest potential for developing effective pest control treatments. The present study demonstrated that the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase; HMGR) gene is a potential target for insect control using RNAi. HMGR is a key enzyme in the mevalonate pathway in insects. A complete cDNA encoding full length HMGR (encoding an 837-aa protein) was cloned from Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The HaHMGR (H. armigera HMGR) knockdown using systemic RNAi in vivo inhibited the fecundity of the females, effectively inhibited ovipostion, and significantly reduced vitellogenin (Vg) mRNA levels. Moreover, the oviposition rate of the female moths was reduced by 98% by silencing HaHMGR compared to the control groups. One-pair experiments showed that both the proportions of valid mating and fecundity were zero. Furthermore, the HaHMGR-silenced females failed to lay eggs (approximate 99% decrease in oviposition) in the semi-field cage performance. The present study demonstrated the potential implications for developing novel pest management strategies using HaHMGR RNAi in the control of H. armigera and other insect pests.
Dormant Ties: The Value of Reconnecting

The social networks literature suggests that ties must be maintained to retain value. In contrast, we show that reconnecting dormant ties---former ties, now out of touch---can be extremely useful. Our research prompted Executive MBA students to consult their dormant contacts about an important work project; outcomes compared favorably to those of their current ties. In addition, reconnecting previously strong ties led to all of the four benefits that are usually associated with either weak ties (efficiency and novelty) or strong ties (trust and shared perspective). These findings suggest that dormant relationships---often overlooked or underutilized---can be a valuable source of knowledge and social capital.