Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical Social Capital and Psychosocial Social Capital as Mediators Between Socio-economic Inequality and Expressions of Well-being and Health in Israeli Kibbutz Populations

A large number of studies show that degree of socio-economic inequality ‘within’ a social entity negatively determines levels of well-being and life expectancy, and is positively associated with morbidity and mortality. This relationship holds over and above the impact of average income level. This initially suggested model put forward a causal flow with mediating variables of ‘relative deprivation’ and followed it up with the expressions of ‘social capital’ in the social psychological sense. This article tests, besides these, the role of an additional (relatively little referred to) mediating set of variables between economic inequality and measures of well-being and health, namely levels of physical investments by society (physical social capital [PHSC]) for fulfilling its individual members’ needs. It is proposed that the higher the level of inequality, the lower would be a society’s investments in PHSC (such as in education, health services, job creation, ecology conservation, public transportation and the like) that contribute to health, well-being and survival. The proposition is tested out in two kinds of kibbutz communities: one, ‘traditional’ with strong adherence to social and economic equality among members; and another, ‘transformed’ kibbutzim, where salaries are differential and are based on position or occupation. The two groups of kibbutzim were roughly equated on size, years since settlement, political belonging, economic standing and geographical location. Findings show that the degree of inequality is associated with the level of both psychosocial social capital and PHSC, which in turn contribute independently and cumulatively to levels of peoples’ health and well-being. Transformed kibbutzim are seen as an expression of neoliberal ideology results in the negative effects on health and well-being of individuals and their communities.
A two-dimensional volatility basis set: 1. organic-aerosol mixing thermodynamics

We develop the thermodynamic underpinnings of a two-dimensional volatility basis set (2D-VBS) employ- ing saturation mass concentration (C o ) and the oxygen con- tent (O:C) to describe volatility, mixing thermodynamics, and chemical evolution of organic aerosol. The work ad- dresses a simple question: "Can we reasonably constrain organic-aerosol composition in the atmosphere based on only two measurable organic properties, volatility and the extent of oxygenation? " This is an extension of our earlier one- dimensional approach employing volatility only (C = C o , where is an activity coefficient). Using available con- straints on bulk organic-aerosol composition, we argue that one can reasonably predict the composition of organics (car- bon, oxygen and hydrogen numbers) given a location in the C o - O:C space. Further, we argue that we can constrain the activity coefficients at various locations in this space based on the O:C of the organic aerosol.
Price competition and concentration in search and negotiation markets: Evidence from mortgage lending

This paper examines the impact of bank consolidation on mortgage rates in order to evaluate the extent to which mortgage markets are competitive. Mortgage markets are decentralized and so rates are determined through a search and negotiation process. The primary effect of a merger therefore is to reduce the number of partners available with whom to negotiate, although it can also change the characteristics of the product, and impact the search effort of consumers. Using a Canadian merger as a case study, we find that, overall, consolidation had little effect on rates suggesting that, on average, the mortgage market is fairly competitive. However, a decomposition of the aggregate treatment effect reveals important heterogeneity in the impact of the merger. We find that consumers gathering multiple quotes are affected by the merger, while those who do not search are not. These results suggest that market power originates in large part from the presence of asymmetric search costs.
Adaptation and Validation of the Bangla Version of the Depression LiteracyQuestionnaire

Abstract Background: Depression is a common recurrent disorder linked to reduced quality of life, morbidity, and mortality. Bangladesh is a densely populated developing country and literacy on depression of this huge population is a must need to cope with the depressive disorder burden. Objective: It was aimed to adapt and validate Bangla version of Depression Literacy Questionnaire (D - Lit Bangla) for the assessment of the status of knowledge regarding depression. Method: The validation study was conducted at the department of public health, ASA University Bangladesh. Data were collected from May 2016 to July 2016 from 194 students by self-reporting final Bangla version of D-Lit questionnaire obtained by standard adaptation procedure. Samples were selected by convenient sampling and data were analyzed by Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) 16.0 and Microsoft Excel 2010 version software. Result: The Cronbach’s α was 0.77 which reflects the internal consistency of the reliability. After varimax rotation form of factor analysis- only one factor was extracted and factor analysis revealed significant commonalities between the items. Conclusion: 20 items D-Lit Bangla is psychometrically valid and can be used for further researches as well as clinical settings.
The IL-10/STAT3-mediated anti-inflammatory response: recent developments and future challenges

Inflammation is a fundamental response of the immune system whose successful termination involves the elimination of the invading pathogens, the resolution of inflammation and the repair of the local damaged tissue. In this context, the interleukin 10 (IL-10)-mediated anti-inflammatory response (AIR) represents an essential homeostatic mechanism that controls the degree and duration of inflammation. Here, we review recent work on the mechanistic characterization of the IL-10-mediated AIR on multiple levels: from the cataloguing of the in vivo genomic targets of STAT3 (the transcription factor downstream of IL-10) to the identification of specific co-factors that endow STAT3 with genomic-binding specificity, and how genomic and computational methods are being used to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of this essential physiological response in macrophages.
What's Next? Index Structures for Efficient Phrase Querying

Text retrieval systems are used to fetch documents from large text collections, using queries consisting of words and word sequences. A shortcoming of current systems is that word-sequence queries, also known as phrase queries, can be expensive to evaluate, particularly if they include common words. Another limitation is that some forms of querying are not supported; an example is phrase completion, which provides an alternative way of locating information. We propose a new index structure, a nextword index, that addresses both of these problems. We show experimentally that nextword indexes can be used for rapid phrase querying, and show that they allow practical phrase completion.
Detecting Community Influence Echelons in Twitter Network Weiyi Sun

We study the interactions in a coherent community o n Twitter to examine its structure. In particular w e examine if there exists a hierarchical influence structure induced b y the interactions which reflect a ranked partition f the users in the community where users retweet (forward) only messag e from other users belonging to an equal or higher ranked group. We extract such ranked partition of the community a nd show it to roughly align with independently cons tructed influence score of users in each echelon. Our research sugges ts that the relationship and forwarding behavior in online microblogging community is affected by the underlying social infl uence structure and the understanding of the struct ure may help us better predict the information diffusion on such online co mmunities.
Virtual Reality procedure training simulators in X3D

Virtual Reality procedure training simulators require that users perform actions in a specific order during the procedure. Recent advances in 3D Web technologies, such as Web3D, HTML5 and WebGL, have allowed complex 3D scenes to be rendered interactively, within a web browser. However, designing and implementing a complete VR procedure training application using these standards is complex and not straightforward. In this paper we present X3D nodes that overcome these limitations and allow procedure training scenarios to be described within X3D. Moreover, using X3DOM to implement these nodes allows training scenarios to run within any standard web browser, without the need to install additional plugins. In particular, we propose three new nodes. These nodes define additional layers that allow relationships and dependencies between geometric entities to be created. They provide the necessary means to develop VR procedure training simulators using X3D. Finally, we have developed a training application targeted at maintenance of hydro-electrical power plants using Petri-nets to validate our proposal.
When and How Much Did the Green Line LRT Increase Single-Family Housing Values in St. Paul, Minnesota?

Studies quantifying value added of transit often cannot differentiate whether the premiums are transit effects or location effects. Limited studies have examined the timing of value added. Using before and after data, this study explores the impact of the Green Line LRT on housing sales prices. Compared to the studied period before its funding announcement, its announcement increased housing values by $9.2/sq ft and its commencement increased sales prices by $13.7/sq ft. Further analyses show that housing value appreciation actually occurred after the announcement but before the commencement. Thus, using the right timing of value added is critical for value capture programs and benefit–cost analysis.
10 Years of ISVV: What's Next?

Independent verification and validation (IV&V) has been a key process for decades, and is highlighted in several international certification standards as an important process to support certification and guarantee high systems resilience. In the European market, ESA supported the definition of the "ESA ISVV Guide", a guidebook containing the description of tasks and procedures, defining uniform guidelines on how to carry out IV&V activities for software systems, called ISVV. This article presents the more relevant facts related to safety-critical software development quality metrics performed by independent assessments (ISVV) of quite mature systems, providing the grounds to evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of the independent assessments. The discussion covers metrics such as effort required to perform specific types of assessments (requirements analysis, design analysis, code inspections, etc) and the obtained results on terms of number of issues found per hour or per artifact according to the issues severity and to the customer acceptance rate of the issues. This study includes data from 10 years of ISVV over a large set of projects from distinct domains (safety-critical and mission-critical). Not only the results and the main findings are discussed, the authors also present their view on how will IV&V/ISVV evolve and contribute to software/system certification and system's dependability improvement in the next 10 years. Case studies details and institutions involved cannot be disclosed.
Polymorphisms of the NRAMP1 gene: Distribution and susceptibility to the development of pulmonary tuberculosis in the Greek population

Summary Background Ample evidence suggests that host genetic factors affect human susceptibility to tuberculosis. The natural resistance–associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1) gene seems to play a role in the pathophysiology of a number of intracellular infections, including mycobacteria. A case-control study was conducted in the Greek population to determine whether NRAMP1 polymorphisms affect the susceptibility to development of overt pulmonary tuberculosis. Material/Methods NRAMP1 polymorphisms (3′UTR, D543N, INT4) were evaluated among 142 patients with culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis and 144 ethnically matched healthy controls having latent M. tuberculosis infection. Patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection were excluded. Results Out of the 3 NRAMP1 polymorphisms, a trend of increased incidence of INT4 polymorphism was found in the patients’ group compared to the control group. A lack of association was observed between the 2 groups as far as the other 2 polymorphisms (D543N, 3′UTR) are concerned. INT4-CC homozygotes were found to have a higher risk to develop pulmonary tuberculosis compared to GG homozygotes (p=0.022). An increased incidence G/TGTG/C genotype combination was found in the patients’ group as compared to controls. G/TGTG/C genotype combination was associated with a 36% higher risk of developing pulmonary tuberculosis (p=0.004) compared to the baseline expression of G/TGTG/G combination. Conclusions INT4-NRAMP1 polymorphism may have a role in the development of culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis after an initial M. tuberculosis latent infection. The possible role of INT4-NRAMP1 polymorphism in the development of active pulmonary tuberculosis needs further investigation.
A DOUBLE OUTBURST FROM IGR J00291+5934: IMPLICATIONS FOR ACCRETION DISK INSTABILITY THEORY

The accretion-powered millisecond pulsar IGR J00291+5934 underwent two ∼10 day long outbursts during 2008, separated by 30 days in quiescence. Such a short quiescent period between outbursts has never been seen before from a neutron star X-ray transient. X-ray pulsations at the 599 Hz spin frequency are detected throughout both outbursts. For the first time, we derive a pulse phase model that connects two outbursts, providing a long baseline for spin frequency measurement. Comparison with the frequency measured during the 2004 outburst of this source gives a spin-down during quiescence of −(4 ± 1) × 10−15 Hz s−1, approximately an order of magnitude larger than the long-term spin-down observed in the 401 Hz accretion-powered pulsar SAX J1808.4−3658. If this spin-down is due to magnetic dipole radiation, it requires a 2 × 108 G field strength, and its high spin-down luminosity may be detectable with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Alternatively, this large spin-down could be produced by gravitational wave emission from a fractional mass quadrupole moment of Q/I = 1 × 10−9. The rapid succession of the outbursts also provides a unique test of models for accretion in low-mass X-ray binaries. Disk instability models generally predict that an outburst will leave the accretion disk too depleted to fuel a second outburst after such a brief quiescence. We suggest a modification in which the outburst is shut off by the onset of a propeller effect before the disk is depleted. This model can explain the short quiescence and the unusually slow rise of the light curve of the second 2008 outburst.
Convergence Results for the Flux Identification in a Scalar Conservation Law

Here we study an inverse problem for a quasilinear hyperbolic equation. We start by proving the existence of solutions to the problem which is posed as the minimization of a suitable cost function. Then we use a Lagrangian formulation in order to formally compute the gradient of the cost function introducing an adjoint equation. Despite the fact that the Lagrangian formulation is formal and that the cost function is not necessarily differentiable, a viscous perturbation and a numerical approximation of the problem allow us to justify this computation. When the adjoint problem for the quasi-linear equation admits a smooth solution, then the perturbed adjoint states can be proved to converge to that very solution. The sequences of gradients for both perturbed problems are also proved to converge to the same element of the subdifferential of the cost function. We evidence these results for a large class of numerical schemes and particular cost functions which can be applied to the identification of isotherms for conservation laws modeling distillation or chromatography. They are illustrated by numerical examples.
Wavepacket Modeling and Full-scale Military Jet Noise Beamforming Analyses

Because jet noise consists of extended, partially correlated sources, a multi-wavepacket model is appropriate to simulate jet noise field levels as well as the appropriate spatial coherence properties within the field. Here, the Hybrid method is used to reconstruct the levels and coherence properties of the source region for multi-wavepacket numerical models. The beamforming source results are then propagated to the acoustic field, where they show good agreement with benchmark levels and coherence lengths. The Hybrid method is further applied to a planar measurement of noise near a high-performance military aircraft, and the beamforming results are propagated to a ground-based microphone array. Sound levels and coherence lengths generated by the beamforming results show good agreement with benchmark measurements over a range of frequencies that contribute significantly to the overall radiation. Results indicate that the multi-wavepacket representation is an improvement over single-wavepacket models, which do not incorporate spatiotemporal features of the radiation.
Directed Edges - A Scalable Representation for Triangle Meshes

Abstract In a broad range of computer graphics applications, the representation of geometric shape is based on triangle meshes. General purpose data structures for polygonal meshes typically provide fast access to geometric objects (e.g., points) and topological entities (e.g., neighborhood relationships) but the memory requirements are rather high due to the many special configurations. In this paper, we present a new data structure which is specifically designed for triangle meshes. The data structure enables the programmer to trade memory for access time by either storing internal references explicitly, or by reconstructing them locally on demand. The trade-off can be hidden from the programmer by an object-oriented API and can automatically adapt to the available hardware resources or the complexity of the mesh (scalability).
Collective intelligence: Scale development and validation

ABSTRACT In today’s growing competition, organizations face shrinking innovation cycles, swelling customer expectations, and distributed talent which impels organizations to apply knowledge, skills, and experience of employees most effectively. Applying collective intelligence, i.e., the combined knowledge and expertise of a diverse group, has become the order of the day. Therefore, collective intelligence level of an individual is of immense importance for high performance and achievement of the goals. In the present research, an attempt is made to operationalize the components of organizational collective intelligence from working professionals. Specifically, an attempt is made to develop a scale to measure collective intelligence among 600 working professionals. The results were subjected to the robust measurement tools such as Exploratory Factor Analysis and Structures Equation Modeling to confirm the factor structure. The instrument resulted in four factors and a 17-item scale. The instrument can be used by the policymakers and human resource managers for selecting, harnessing, and retaining appropriate talent in the organization.
Who's in the mood for funny business? Context effects, consumer personalities and the role of humour in advertising

Although humorous appeals are common and increasingly used in advertising to sell products and services, there is little agreement in the literature on the efficacy of humour in advertising. This thesis seeks to provide a greater understanding of its merit in meeting the communicative goals of the advertiser. Amongst other things, contextual factors and individual differences in consumers are likely to mediate the effectiveness of such appeals. The current research focuses on the television medium where humour is most frequently used and believed to be the most successful. Because advertising in this medium occurs within the context of a programme, the affective tone of the TV broadcast may be a relevant moderator of the effectiveness of humorous ads. Until now, the programme context has not been considered with regard to humour appeals. Furthermore, personality attributes of the target viewers may also affect the likelihood of success. Need for cognition (NFC) has been one such factor that has been suggested to moderate the persuasive power of humorous advertising. These variables have been explored by controlling the programming tone and NFC and comparing consumer reactions to humorous and chiefly informative ad types through an experimental pre-test/post-test design. The research demonstrated that humour is an effective way to enhance consumers' attitudes towards the advertised brand, especially when advertising low-involvement, indulgent products. It can be successful when placed into programmes that have very different effects on the audiences' mood state, but its persuasive impact will be greatest when placed within a show that generates a positive mood. NFC has been shown to be an important mediator of advertising influence for high-involvement and/or functional products. However, this thesis demonstrates that individual differences in this trait do not compromise the effectiveness of humour for the low-involvement, expressive products for which it is the most appropriate.
Co-occurrence based predictors for estimating query difficulty

Query difficulty prediction aims to identify, in advance, how reliably an information retrieval system will perform when faced with a particular user request. The prediction of query difficulty level is an interesting and important issue in Information Retrieval (IR) and is still an open research. In order to appreciate importance of query difficulty prediction we present an example. , Information Retrieval (IR) is the Science of searching the relevant documents based on user’s need and a way towards discovering knowledge from text data. User’s needs are often expressed in terms of query. It has been observed that there is a word mismatch problem while matching user’s query to the documents. This is because users and authors of documents do not use same vocabulary. Query expansion/reformulation is a method to overcome such mismatch in terminology. Query expansion (QE) has become a well known technique that has been shown to improve average retrieval performance. However despite extensive research QE does not provide consistent gains over different query sets and collections. Therefore this technique has not been used in many operational systems as it may degrade performance of individual queries. A thorough investigation into robustness of query expansion is required in order to ensure reliability of query expansion for individual queries. It is well-known in the Information Retrieval community that methods such as query expansion can help ”easy” queries but are detrimental to ”hard” queries If the performance of queries can be predicted before retrieval then specific measures can be taken to improve the overall performance of the system. In this paper we do thorough investigations of various query difficulty predictors l and suggest two new query predictorsl based on co-occurrence of query terms. To evaluate the predictors, we have experimented on standard TREC collections. Our work is significant as it is a step towards judging reliability and robustness of query processing operations such as query expansion.