Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assuring information quality in e-Science

In this paper we outline a framework for assuring information quality (IQ) in an e-science context, using semiotics theory, semantic explanation of resources, and data couplings. Scientists can define the quality characteristics that are of importance in their particular domain by applying an IQ semiotics, which classifies and organizes these domain-specific quality characteristics within this quality assurance framework. Resource description framework (RDF) is used to explain data resources, with reference to IQ indicators defined in the semiotics. Data couplings - again defined in RDF - are used to represent mappings between data elements and the IQ semiotics. As a practical illustration of our approach, we present a case study from the domain of natural science.
Consistent query answering in databases

For several reasons databases may become inconsistent with respect to a given set of integrity constraints (ICs): (a) The DBMS have no mechanism to maintain certain classes of ICs. (b) New constraints are imposed on preexisting, legacy data. (c) The ICs are soft, user, or informational constraints that are considered at query time, but without being necessarily enforced. (d) Data from different and autonomous sources are being integrated, in particular in mediator-based approaches.
Implementing Culture Change in Nursing Homes: An Adaptive Leadership Framework.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY To describe key adaptive challenges and leadership behaviors to implement culture change for person-directed care. DESIGN AND METHODS The study design was a qualitative, observational study of nursing home staff perceptions of the implementation of culture change in each of 3 nursing homes. We conducted 7 focus groups of licensed and unlicensed nursing staff, medical care providers, and administrators. Questions explored perceptions of facilitators and barriers to culture change. Using a template organizing style of analysis with immersion/crystallization, themes of barriers and facilitators were coded for adaptive challenges and leadership. RESULTS Six key themes emerged, including relationships, standards and expectations, motivation and vision, workload, respect of personhood, and physical environment. Within each theme, participants identified barriers that were adaptive challenges and facilitators that were examples of adaptive leadership. Commonly identified challenges were how to provide person-directed care in the context of extant rules or policies or how to develop staff motivated to provide person-directed care. IMPLICATIONS Implementing culture change requires the recognition of adaptive challenges for which there are no technical solutions, but which require reframing of norms and expectations, and the development of novel and flexible solutions. Managers and administrators seeking to implement person-directed care will need to consider the role of adaptive leadership to address these adaptive challenges.
Spatial statistics of marine boundary layer clouds

[1] An analysis is presented of the structure functions and scalar spectra for 25 satellite-derived marine stratocumulus cloud optical depth fields. The scenes, which cover a horizontal domain of 58 × 58 km at a resolution of 28.5 m, are partitioned into two ensembles on the basis of cloud fraction. For the fully cloudy scenes, although there is wide scene-to-scene variability, both the average isotropic scalar spectrum and the average isotropic second-order structure function exhibit power law behavior over approximately two decades, with scale-invariant exponents equal to those expected for inertial-subrange passive tracer fluctuations. Higher-order structure functions show anomalous scaling that closely matches that observed for wind tunnel temperature fluctuations and for other fully cloudy observations. The partly cloudy scenes, while scaling, show different behavior. The average isotropic second-order structure function and average isotropic scalar spectrum have scale-invariant exponents that are significantly smaller than those of the fully cloudy scenes, and the analysis of the higher-order structure functions indicates that the field has much more intermittent fluctuations than the fully cloudy scenes. Fits to random cascade models for the fully cloudy scenes show that the increment statistics are consistent with an underlying log normal distribution. For the partly cloudy scenes a divergence of higher-order moments is predicted, indicating that the field fluctuations are necessarily derived from fat-tailed distributions and that there will be significant realization dependence of the measured statistics. In addition, the presence of long-range correlations in all the data predicts that single-point histograms of the field values will have significant scene-to-scene variability, or equivalently, the use of spatial averages in the approximation of the parameters of the single-point probability density function of the field will result in random fluctuations of the estimated parameters.
Code Phase Multipath Mitigation by Exploiting the Frequency Diversity in Galileo E5 AltBOC

In heavy multipath scenarios such as urban canyons, the user code phase pseudorange error due to multipath fading can be as high as two meters even for the most sophisticated ranging signals such as Galileo E5 Alternate Binary-Offset-Carrier AltBOC (15,10). In this paper the author introduces methods to mitigate the code phase multipath by exploiting the frequency diversity which is inherent to the AltBOC modulation used in Galileo E5 satellite navigation signals. A detailed analysis of the proposed method called SCPC (Sideband Carrier Phase Combination) is provided and its features are discussed. With the help of simulations and the signal collected from satellites, it is shown that the instantaneous code phase multipath error can be reduced to less than half a meter.
Fast k-Nearest Neighbour Search via Prioritized DCI

Most exact methods for k-nearest neighbour search suffer from the curse of dimensionality; that is, their query times exhibit exponential dependence on either the ambient or the intrinsic dimensionality. Dynamic Continuous Indexing (DCI) offers a promising way of circumventing the curse and successfully reduces the dependence of query time on intrinsic dimensionality from exponential to sublinear. In this paper, we propose a variant of DCI, which we call Prioritized DCI, and show a remarkable improvement in the dependence of query time on intrinsic dimensionality. In particular, a linear increase in intrinsic dimensionality, or equivalently, an exponential increase in the number of points near a query, can be mostly counteracted with just a linear increase in space. We also demonstrate empirically that Prioritized DCI significantly outperforms prior methods. In particular, relative to Locality-Sensitive Hashing (LSH), Prioritized DCI reduces the number of distance evaluations by a factor of 14 to 116 and the memory consumption by a factor of 21.
The inclusive practices of classroom teachers: a scoping review and thematic analysis

ABSTRACT There is a consensus that what teachers do in the classroom directly impacts student’s learning. Currently, however there is a paucity of data identifying which teaching practices actually support learning within an inclusive classroom, especially data derived from direct observations of teachers. Thus, research-based guidance regarding how best to target observations of inclusive teachers warrants further investigation. The purpose of this scoping review, therefore, was to determine which teacher practices are related to high-quality inclusion, when conducting classroom observations. Extracted data from the tools that relied on direct observation methods included concepts and definitions of inclusion, as well as all indicators of inclusive practice. Thematic Analysis of observable inclusive teacher practices were concentrated into five themes: ‘Collaboration and Teamwork’, ‘Determining Progress’, ‘Instructional Support’, ‘Organisational Practices’, ‘Social/Emotional/Behavioural Support’. These themes were used to create a ‘guide’ for conducting in-class observation of inclusive teachers. Implications for the use of this ‘guide’ and teacher education are discussed.
Exploring the Anatomical Basis of Effective Connectivity Models with DTI-Based Fiber Tractography

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is considered to be a promising tool for revealing the anatomical basis of functional networks. In this study, we investigate the potential of DTI to provide the anatomical basis of paths that are used in studies of effective connectivity, using structural equation modeling. We have taken regions of interest from eight previously published studies, and examined the connectivity as defined by DTI-based fiber tractography between these regions. The resulting fiber tracts were then compared with the paths proposed in the original studies. For a substantial number of connections, we found fiber tracts that corresponded to the proposed paths. More importantly, we have also identified a number of cases in which tractography suggested direct connections which were not included in the original analyses. We therefore conclude that DTI-based fiber tractography can be a valuable tool to study the anatomical basis of functional networks.
Localization and Enhanced Current Density of the Kv4.2 Potassium Channel by Interaction with the Actin-Binding Protein Filamin

Kv4.2 potassium channels play a critical role in postsynaptic excitability. Immunocytochemical studies reveal a somatodendritic Kv4.2 expression pattern, with the channels concentrated mainly at dendritic spines. The molecular mechanism that underlies the localization of Kv4.2 to this subcellular region is unknown. We used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify the Kv4.2-associated proteins that are involved in channel localization. Here we demonstrate a direct interaction between Kv4.2 and the actin-binding protein, filamin. We show that Kv4.2 and filamin can be coimmunoprecipitated both in vitro and in brain and that Kv4.2 and filamin share an overlapping expression pattern in the cerebellum and cultured hippocampal neurons. To examine the functional consequences of this interaction, we expressed Kv4.2 in filamin+ and filamin− cells and performed immunocytochemical and electrophysiological analyses. Our results indicate that Kv4.2 colocalizes with filamin at filopodial roots in filamin+ cells but shows a nonspecific expression pattern in filamin− cells, with no localization to filopodial roots. Furthermore, the magnitude of whole-cell Kv4.2 current density is ∼2.7-fold larger in filamin+cells as compared with these currents in filamin−cells. We propose that filamin may function as a scaffold protein in the postsynaptic density, mediating a direct link between Kv4.2 and the actin cytoskeleton, and that this interaction is essential for the generation of appropriate Kv4.2 current densities.
IZA DP No . 1454 Relational Delegation

Relational Delegation We explore the optimal delegation of decision rights by a principal to a better informed but biased agent. In an infinitely repeated game a long lived principal faces a series of short lived agents. Every period they play a cheap talk game ala Crawford and Sobel (1982) with constant bias, quadratic loss functions and general distributions of the state of the world. We characterize the optimal delegation schemes for all discount rates and show that they resemble organizational arrangements that are commonly observed, including centralization and threshold delegation. For small biases threshold delegation is optimal for almost all distributions. Outsourcing can only be optimal if the principal is sufficiently impatient. JEL Classification: D23, D82, L23
Copper to Zinc Ratio as Disease Biomarker in Neonates with Early-Onset Congenital Infections

Copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) are essential trace elements for regular development. Acute infections alter their metabolism, while deficiencies increase infection risks. A prospective observational case-control study was conducted with infected (n = 21) and control (n = 23) term and preterm newborns. We analyzed trace element concentrations by X-ray fluorescence, and ceruloplasmin (CP) by Western blot. Median concentration of Cu at birth (day 1) was 522.8 [387.1–679.7] μg/L, and Zn was 1642.4 ± 438.1 μg/L. Cu and Zn correlated positively with gestational age in control newborns. Cu increased in infected newborns from day 1 to day 3. CP correlated positively to Cu levels at birth in both groups and on day 3 in the group of infected neonates. The Cu/Zn ratio was relatively high in infected newborns. Interleukin (IL)-6 concentrations on day 1 were unrelated to Cu, Zn, or the Cu/Zn ratio, whereas C-reactive protein (CRP) levels on day 3 correlated positively to the Cu/Zn -ratio at both day 1 and day 3. We conclude that infections affect the trace element homeostasis in newborns: serum Zn is reduced, while Cu and CP are increased. The Cu/Zn ratio combines both alterations, independent of gestational age. It may, thus, constitute a meaningful diagnostic biomarker for early-onset infections.
The Butcher-Oemler Effect in 295 Clusters: Strong Redshift Evolution and Cluster Richness Dependence

We examine the Butcher-Oemler effect and its cluster richness dependence in the largest sample studied to date: 295 Abell clusters. We find a strong correlation between cluster richness and the fraction of blue galaxies, fB, at every redshift. The slope of the fB(z) relation is similar for all richnesses, but at a given redshift, fB is systematically higher for poor clusters. This is the chief cause of scatter in the fB versus z diagram; the spread caused by the richness dependence is comparable to the trend in fB over a typical redshift baseline so that conclusions drawn from smaller samples have varied widely. The two parameters, z and a consistently defined projected galaxy number density N, together account for all of the observed variation in fB within the measurement errors. The redshift evolution of fB is real and occurs at approximately the same rate for clusters of all richness classes.
The Impact Of Long-Term Lithium Treatment On Renal Function In An Outpatient Population

Aim This study aims to compare younger and older populations of lithium-treated patients and to examine the impact of long-term lithium treatment on renal function. Methods A retrospective, cross-sectional survey of all patients attending a specialist clinic was carried out. Demographic, clinical and biochemical data from the two groups were compared, and stepwise regression was used to investigate an association between duration of lithium treatment and renal function. Results The findings reveal a positive association between duration of lithium use and mean serum creatinine levels (t=3.369, p=0.001), and so prolonged lithium treatment may be a risk factor for progressive renal impairment. However, under appropriate supervision this may not be of clinical relevance. Conclusion We conclude that lithium can be safely prescribed over a protracted period of time, even in elderly populations, but should be monitored closely under specialist supervision, to ensure early identification and management of adverse effects.
Thermo-Responsive Core-Shell Composite Nanoparticles Synthesized via One-Step Pickering Emulsion Polymerization for Controlled Drug Delivery

Purpose: The focus of this work is to develop a unique drug delivery vehicle which can be taken up by cancer cells and can release the loaded drug. Methods: Core-shell composite nanoparticles have been prepared by one-step Pickering emulsion polymerization with a nonionic initiator, using silica as the sole stabilizer. More importantly, the Pickering emulsion polymerization is applied to synthesize polystyrene/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm)-silica core-shell nanoparticles with N-isopropylacrylamide incorporated into the core as a co-monomer. Results: The composite nanoparticles are temperature sensitive and can be taken up by human prostate cancer (PC3 and PC3-PSMA) cells. An anticancer agent 17-(Allylamino)-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) has been loaded into the polymeric cores during formation of the nanoparticles and drug release has been successfully observed at elevated temperatures. The ability of the various nanoparticles for inducing death in human prostate cancer cells has been evaluated. Conclusion: The work has demonstrated the temperature sensitivity, controlled drug release properties of the synthesized core-shell nanoparticles, and their effectiveness for inducing death of human prostate cancer cells.
Stability of Palatini-f(R) cosmology

The evolution of linear cosmological perturbations in modified theories of gravity is investigated assuming the Palatini formalism. It has been discussed about the stability problem in this model based on the equivalence between f(R) gravity and the scalar tensor theory. However, we study this problem in the physical frame where the matter is minimally coupled. In general, the stability of the superhorizon metric evolution depends on models. We show that the deviation from the superhorizon metric evolution is null for a specific choice for the nonlinear Einstein-Hilbert action, $f(\hat{R}) \sim \hat{R}^{n}$, where $n \neq 0,2,3$. Thus the stability of metric fluctuation is guaranteed in these models. We also study the matter density fluctuation in the general gauge and show the differential equations in super and sub-horizon scales.
Scale-Free Relationships between Social and Landscape Factors in Urban Systems

Urban planners and ecologists have long debated the relationship between the structure of urban landscapes and social activities. There have, however, been very few discussions as to whether any such relationships might depend on the scales of observation. This work applies a hierarchical zoning technique to data from the city of Quito, Ecuador, to examine how relationships between typical spatial landscape metrics and social indicators depend on zoning scales. Our results showed that the estimates of both landscape heterogeneity features and social indicators significantly depend on the zoning scale. The mean values of the typical landscape metrics and the social indicators all exhibited predictable responses to a changing zoning scale, suggesting a consistent and significant scaling relationship within the multiple zoning scales. Yet relationships between these pairs of variables remain notably invariant to scale. This quantitative demonstration of the scale-free nature of the relationship between landscape characteristics and social indicators furthers our understanding of the relationships between landscape structures and social aspects of urban spaces, including deprivation and public service accessibility. The relationships between social indicators and one typical landscape aggregation metric (represented as the percentage of like adjacencies) were nevertheless significantly dependent on scale, suggesting the importance of zoning scale decisions for analyzing the relationships between the social indicators and the landscape characteristics related with landscape adjacency. Aside from this typical landscape aggregation metric, the general invariance to the zoning scale of relationships between landscape structures and socioeconomic indicators in Quito suggests the importance of applying these scale-free relationships in understanding complex socio-ecological systems in other cities, which are shaped by the conflated influences of both anthropogenic and natural factors. Moreover, this scale-free behavior of landscape–social relationships challenges the traditional modifiable area unit problem, and provides mechanistic insight into the conflicts and compatibilities between human activities and human-induced land use change.
Temporal Trends of Suicide Mortality in Mainland China: Results from the Age-Period-Cohort Framework

The aim of this study is to explore the long-term trends of suicide mortality in China. We implemented the age-period-cohort (APC) framework, using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Our results showed that the net drift of suicide mortality was −4.727% (95% CI: −4.821% to −4.634%) per year for men and −6.633% (95% CI: −6.751% to −6.515%) per year for women, and the local drift values were below 0 in all age groups (p < 0.01 for all) for both sexes during the period of 1994–2013. Longitudinal age curves indicated that, in the same birth cohort, suicide death risk increased rapidly to peak at the life stage of 20–24 years old and 15–24 years old for men and women, respectively, and then showed a decelerated decline, followed by a rise thereafter after 54 years old for men and a slight one after 69 years old for women. The estimated period and cohort RRs were found to show similar monotonic downward patterns (significantly with p < 0.01 for all) for both sexes, with more quickly decreasing for women than for men during the whole period. The decreasing trend of suicide was likely to be related to the economic rapid growth, improvements in health care, enhancement on the level of education, and increasing awareness of suicide among the public in China. In addition, fast urbanization and the effective control of pesticides and rodenticides might be the special reasons behind these trends we observed in this study.
The role of applicability in the emergence of the overattribution bias

Study 1 assessed participants' theories regarding various issues previously used in overattribution bias studies. Results suggest that personality plays an important role in explaining positions on these issues. Studies 2, 3, and 4 indicated that the overattribution bias is contingent on the explanatory applicability of accessible concepts for a particular issue. Study 2 used an issue associated with personality; an overattribution bias emerged only when personality was stressed in the instructions. Study 3 used an issue associated with a sociological theory; this time, an overattribution bias appeared only when a socioeconomic concept was emphasized. Essays were not circulated in Studies 2 and 3, but were in Study 4. Again, the bias appeared only when an applicable (personality) concept was activated. These results, which extend the range of applicability, are discussed within the framework of the social judgability approach.
A Conceptual Model for Psychological Empowerment of Telecentre Users

The Information and Communication Technologies usage among rural communities can be promoted through community telecentres. To date, there is a lack of adequate knowledge in terms of civic participation and empowerment that are related to ICT programs evaluations. This paper proposes a conceptual model for evaluating psychological empowerment of telecentres users based on review of literature. The Zimmerman’s constructs of empowerment theory that include intrapersonal, interactional and behavioural components form the basis of the model. Researchers in the area can used this model to examine the relationship among the components of psychological empowerment for different populations and settings, and create an avenue for understanding individual users of telecentre projects.