Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of viewing angle in integrating the senses of vision and touch for perception of object softness

Enabling surgeons to interact intuitively and accurately with virtual reality (VR)¿based environments using their senses of vision and touch (e.g., to distinguish the softness of tissues) is a challenging issue for surgical planning. This paper presents the results of two experiments that were conducted to determine how viewing angle affects the perception of object softness and to investigate the mechanisms for integrating the senses of vision and touch. The two experiments used virtual reality setups with different locations of a haptic device. In each experiment, 15 human subjects were tested in cases where both visual and touch (haptic) information was available and again when only visual or haptic information was available. In each trial, subjects were asked to select the harder object among two deformable balls placed at different viewing angles. The results of both experiments showed that viewing angle affects the perception of object softness: the larger the viewing angle, the harder the ball was perceived to be. When two viewing angles differed by at least 15°, there was a significant difference in perceived object softness. By computing the individual and combined weights of visual and haptic information, it was determined that visual information and haptic information depend upon each other, contradicting the assumption of independence employed in other studies. Comparison of the two experiments revealed that the location of the haptic device also affects the perception of object softness.
Improving Social Cohesion in Educational Environments Based on A Sociometric-Oriented Emotional Intervention Approach

Sociometric-oriented approaches have been applied the last years in numerous cases and domains, targeting at the improvement of social groups’ characteristics for achieving personal and team-based objectives. Considering the existing approaches and the published results, in the current study, a set of emotional intervention activities based on a sociometric-oriented approach were designed and implemented with the clear objective to augment social cohesion within members of a social group in primary school students. Petrides’ trait emotional model was used to identify the emotional profile of the experimental and control group members, while the set of implemented activities was based on Bisquerra’s emotional competencies model. Sociometrics were used to evaluate the initial, intermediate and final level of social cohesion of both groups. Based on the realized statistical analysis and the produced evaluation results, useful insights with regards to the social group indicators that mainly affect the social cohesion levels are extracted and presented. It should be noted that the detailed study was based on the exclusive usage of open-source Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools for supporting educational needs.
4. Monitoring Attitudes and Beliefs in Statistics Education

Students’ attitudes and beliefs can impede (or assist) learning statistics, and may affect the extent to which students will develop useful statistical thinking skills and apply what they have learned outside the classroom. This chapter alerts educators to the importance of assessing student attitudes and beliefs regarding statistics, describes and evaluates different methods developed to assess where students stand in this regard, provides suggestions for using and extending existing assessments, and outlines future research and instructional needs.
Dysbiosis modulates capacity for bile acid modification in the gut microbiomes of patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a mechanism and marker of disease?

The recently published article by Gadaleta and co-workers1 has demonstrated that activation of the bile acid (BA) nuclear receptor, Farnesoid X receptor α (FXR), affords multi-level protection against intestinal inflammation and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice. Of the numerous avenues of research into IBD diagnosis and treatment that are opened by these findings, the questions posed by Gadaleta and co-workers regarding the contribution of gut bacteria to FXR modulation and aetiology of IBD are of particular significance. Bacteria resident in the human gastrointestinal tract collectively encode a distributed pathway of BA modification, the products of which are the natural ligands for FXR,2 and there is growing appreciation that this may be a key activity through which the gut microbiota integrates factors relating to diet and mucosal inflammation, to initiate or exacerbate disease.3 These modified BAs display altered binding profiles for BA receptors, with several secondary BAs being among the most potent agonists. Moreover, microbial transformation could also influence BA bioavailability for …
Identification of a new microRNA expression profile as a potential cancer screening tool.

PURPOSE Small non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) are key components of cancer development and are considered as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring. This study investigated miRNA expression profiles of human cancer cells in order to develop a screening method for lung cancer. METHODS A series of lung cancer related miRNAs (miR-21, miR-145, miR-155, miR-205, miR-210, miR-92, miR-17-5p, miR-143, miR-182, miR-372, let-7a) were selected as candidates for miRNA expression profiles of human lung cancer cell lines (A549, SK-mes-1). MicroRNA u6 was the endogenous control. Cancer cell lines for positive controls; breast MCF-7, prostate Du-145, and glioblastoma U118. The negative control was normal lung fibroblast cell line MRC-5. RT-PCR was performed on StepOnePlus (Applied Biosystem, USA). MiRNA expressions of malignant cells were compared with normal fibroblast cells as well as endogenous control (u6) using the thermal cycle at threshold. Assessment of miRNA expression profiles were then performed using agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis software (SPSS13, USA). RESULTS We demonstrated that miR-21, miR-182 and let7-5a were over-expressed, and miR-145 and miR-155 were under-expressed in all cancer cell lines. Combined with the cluster analysis we were able to clearly distinguish cell lines for normal fibroblasts, breast cancer, prostate cancer, glioblastoma, and lung cancer. CONCLUSION There is potential utility of screening for lung cancer with miRNA expression profiles. Future work will focus on the sensitivity of such miRNA expression profiles in screening sputum for lung cancer, which can be performed in real time.
Intratympanic application of gentamicin for treatment of Menière's disease.

Since 1974 we have treated 118 patients suffering from unilateral and bilateral (two patients) Morbus Meniere with intratympanal applications of gentamicin-sulfate. In contrast to earlier attempts using this method, we did not try to destroy the vestibular apparatus, but taking into our considerations the recent findings about the pathophysiological mechanism of Morbus Meniere, only to damage the secretory epithelium thus preventing the endolymphatic hydrops. Relief from symptoms could be obtained in more than 90% of our patients.
Are the Red Halos of Galaxies Made of Low-Mass Stars? Constraints from Subdwarf Star Counts in the Milky Way Halo

Surface photometry detections of red and exceedingly faint halos around galaxies have resurrected the old question of whether some nonnegligible fraction of the missing baryons of the universe could be hiding in the form of faint, hydrogen-burning stars. The optical/near-infrared colors of these red halos have proved very difficult to reconcile with any normal type of stellar population, but can, in principle, be explained by advocating a bottom-heavy stellar initial mass function. This implies a high stellar mass-to-light ratio and hence a substantial baryonic mass locked up in such halos. Here we explore the constraints imposed by current observations of ordinary stellar halo subdwarfs on a putative red halo of low-mass stars around the Milky Way. Assuming structural parameters similar to those of the red halo recently detected in stacked images of external disk galaxies, we find that a smooth halo component with a bottom-heavy initial mass function is completely ruled out by current star count data for the Milky Way. All viable smooth red halo models with a density slope even remotely similar to that of the stacked halo moreover contain far too little mass to have any bearing on the missing-baryon problem. However, we note that these constraints can be sidestepped if the red halo stars are locked up in star clusters, and we discuss potential observations of other nearby galaxies that may be able to put such scenarios to the test.
Factor V Leiden Mutation as a Novel Marker in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Background: Gene mutations are known to play a role in the development of cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of factor V Leiden (fVL) mutation as an etiological novel marker in Egyptian children with cerebral palsy. Methods: The study included 70 children; 50 patients with cerebral palsy (Group I) and 20 healthy subjects (Group II) matched age and sex as a control group. Venous blood samples were used for DNA extraction using PCR testing. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed based on exon 10 sequence of human factor V gene. Key findings: There was insignificant difference between both groups regarding comparison of demographic characteristics and risk factors except for pre-term birth (26% in study group versus 5% in control group with P = 0.04). The frequency of fVL mutation was 42% in the study group, 15% in control group with significant difference between study and control groups. There was a significant association and for the first time between homozygous fVL mutation and severe type of cerebral palsy; 60% of homozygous mutations associated with severe CP versus 9% of heterozygous mutations. Conclusions: The fVL mutation is one of the major risk factors that may increase the likelihood of cerebral thrombo-embolism and subsequent cerebral palsy in Egyptian children.
Scale effects related to the rating curve of cylindrically crested Piano Key weirs

Hydraulic scale effects on physical Piano Key weir (PKW) models were so far rarely discussed in literature, even though almost all prototypes are model-tested before construction. In parallel, physical weir models are generally known to include significant scale effects if operated under small heads, so that an up-scaling of the results derived from the latter is unreliable regarding the discharge-head function (rating curve). This comes from the fact that viscosity and surface tension of water are fluid properties which cannot be scaled simultaneously, whereas both affect the flow in models. Thus, scale effects occur particularly for small overflow heads. Literature mentions limiting heads to respect in the order of 0.03 to 0.05 m. Furthermore, a specific ‘low-head behavior’ regarding the transition from the clinging to the leaping nappe has been reported, which is different in a prototype and its scaled model. The latter is linked to the teapot effect and to air-water flow features. To derive general equations for the head-discharge relationship of PKWs, researchers thus have to exclude data which could be subjected to scale effects, without knowing the precise limit so far. However, the tests to be excluded are of specific interest to develop the aforementioned relationship, as PKWs are particularly efficient for these conditions. The paper discusses scale effects related to PKWs, based on an analogy considering cylindrical weirs.
Views and Demands of Teachers about In-Service Training within the Scope of FATİH Project

The lack of effective in-service teacher training was declared in the literature as the most frequented barrier for the integration of ICT in the schools. For that reason, it may be useful to determine the problems the teachers faced while they received the in-service training of FATIH Project. The purpose of this study was to determine the teachers’ views and needs about the in-service training within the scope of the FATIH Project that aims to integrate interactive and mobile technologies into education in Turkey. Qualitative case study methodology was performed for this research. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews from fifteen teachers in a high school. Content analysis method was used while reaching the findings. The findings indicated that the teachers prefer more practice-based trainings for longer and repeated periods of time, and special trainings for teachers at different fields
Interstitial Branches Develop from Active Regions of the Axon Demarcated by the Primary Growth Cone during Pausing Behaviors

Interstitial branches arise from the axon shaft, sometimes at great distances behind the primary growth cone. After a waiting period that can last for days after extension of the primary growth cone past the target, branches elongate toward their targets. Delayed interstitial branching is an important but little understood mechanism for target innervation in the developing CNS of vertebrates. One possible mechanism of collateral branch formation is that the axon shaft responds to target-derived signals independent of the primary growth cone. Another possibility is that the primary growth cone recognizes the target and demarcates specific regions of the axon for future branching. To address whether behaviors of the primary growth cone and development of interstitial branches are related, we performed high-resolution time-lapse imaging on dissociated sensorimotor cortical neurons that branch interstitially in vivo. Imaging of entire cortical neurons for periods of days revealed that the primary growth cone pauses in regions in which axon branches later develop. Pausing behaviors involve repeated cycles of collapse, retraction, and extension during which growth cones enlarge and reorganize. Remnants of reorganized growth cones are left behind on the axon shaft as active filopodial or lamellar protrusions, and axon branches subsequently emerge from these active regions of the axon shaft. In this study we propose a new model to account for target innervation in vivo by interstitial branching. Our model suggests that delayed interstitial branching results directly from target recognition by the primary growth cone.
Antecedents of customer loyalty: Does service quality suffice?

This study reports on an investigation of the antecedents of customer loyalty in an academic library setting. A structural model is presented to test the relationships between web-based library service quality, service value, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty based on theoretical underpinnings in the literature on service quality and customer loyalty. The study provides empirical data on library users’ behavioral intentions, which helps understand the nature of customers’ loyalty towards web-based library services. Participants included postgraduates and academic staff from four research intensive universities in Malaysia. Structural equation modeling was carried out to test the modeled relationships between the four construct in this study. This study provides insights into the antecedents of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty as findings revealed that service quality and service value have a direct effect on customer satisfaction, which then directly impacts customer loyalty.
In Vivo Interrelationship between Insulin Resistance and Interferon Gamma Production: Protective and Therapeutic Effect of Berberine

This research was conducted to investigate if there is a relation between insulin resistance incidence and inhibition of interferon gamma production or not. Firstly, insulin resistance was induced by high fat diet (HFD) intake for 6 weeks. Secondly, berberine was used as protective/curative compound for insulin resistance. Results revealed that feeding rats HFD for 6 weeks developed features of insulin resistance (IR) syndrome. These features presented in increased body weight, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, hypercholesterolemia (with increased LDL-cholesterol and decreased HDL-cholesterol), and hypertriglyceridemia. Level of antioxidant enzymes in HFD group was higher than in normal one. Also there was an increasing in level of proinflammatory cytokines as interleukin- (IL-) 6 and IL-12 in HFD group. Feeding rats HFD for 6 weeks also decreased level of interferon gamma (IFN-γ). The decreased level of IFN-γ has been shown to predict infection with infectious diseases especially viral infection. Treatment and protection with berberine 50 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks were found to be effective against the features of insulin resistance syndrome, improved levels of insulin resistance parameters, lipid profile, antioxidant enzymes, proinflammatory cytokines, and IFN-γ.
Evidence for an endothelium‐derived hyperpolarizing factor in the superior mesenteric artery from rats with cirrhosis

In cirrhosis, in splanchnic arteries, endothelium‐dependent relaxation may persist even if overactive nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX) are inhibited. In normal arteries, a significant endothelium‐dependent relaxation to acetylcholine persists after NOS/COX inhibition. This relaxation is caused by smooth muscle cell (SMC) membrane hyperpolarization, which is sensitive to a combination of the potassium channel blockers apamin and charybdotoxin, and is mediated by an endothelium‐derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). The aim of this study was to detect EDHF and evaluate its pathophysiologic role in isolated superior mesenteric arteries from cirrhotic rats. Arterial rings were obtained and exposed to Nw‐nitro‐L‐arginine (L‐NNA, a NOS inhibitor) and indomethacin (a COX inhibitor). Acetylcholine‐induced membrane potential responses and concentration‐response curves to the relaxant of acetylcholine were obtained with and without apamin plus charybdotoxin. Acetylcholine‐induced responses were measured in certain rings from endothelium‐denuded arteries. Contractions caused by the α1‐adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine were obtained in cirrhotic and normal rings with and without apamin and charybdotoxin. Significant acetylcholine‐induced, endothelium‐dependent, apamin‐ and charybdotoxin‐sensitive, SMC membrane hyperpolarization and relaxation were found. An apamin‐ and charybdotoxin‐sensitive hyporesponsiveness to the contractile action of phenylephrine was found in cirrhotic rings. In conclusion, in cirrhotic rats, in the superior mesenteric artery exposed to NOS/COX‐inhibitors, an EDHF exists that may replace NOS/COX products to induce endothelium‐dependent arterial relaxation.
A critical examination of nudge on theoretical and ethical grounds

3 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES . 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . 10 CHAPTER 1: General Introduction . 12 1.1. Nudge: An Introduction . 13 1.2. Effectiveness of Nudge . 14 1.3. Theoretical Complexities . 16 1.4. Nudge and Autonomy . 17 1.4.1. The Welfarist Argument . 19 1.4.2. The Transparency Argument . 21 1.5. Summary . 23 CHAPTER 2 – Nudge: Theoretical and Empirical Re-consideration . 25 2.1. Critical issues with Dual-System theories . 25 2.2. A Single System Account of Nudge . 28 2.3. Empirical Evidence in Health Domain . 30 2.4. Empirical Issues Concerning Nudge . 36 2.5. General Theoretical Re-Considerations of the Nudge Evidence-base . 38 2.6. Summary . 39 CHAPER 3: Nudge and Autonomy . 40 3.1. The Welfarist Argument “True” Preference in Default . 41 3.1.1. Pro-self Default in Pension Enrolment . 43 3.1.2. Pro-social Default in Organ Donation Registration . 46 3.1.3. Bayesian Approach . 49 3.1.4. Summary – Pro-social and Pro-self nudges . 50 3.2. The Transparency Argument: Public Attitudes Towards Nudge . 51 3.2.1. Other Predictors . 55 3.2.2. Summary – Public Attitude Towards Nudges . 57 CHAPTER 4: Underlying Wishes and Nudged Choices in Pro-self Context . 58 4.1. Participants and Design . 60 4.2. General Materials and Procedure . 61 4.3. Results . 64
Long-Term Asset Tail Risk in Developed and Emerging Markets

The tail of financial returns is typically governed by a power law (i.e. “fat tails”). However, the constancy of the so-called tail index α which dictates the tail decay has been hardly investigated. We study the finite sample properties of some recently proposed endogenous tests for structural change in α. Given that the finite sample critical values strongly depend on the tail parameters of the return distribution we propose a bootstrap-based version of the structural change test. Our empirical application spans a wide variety of long-term developed and emerging financial asset returns. Somewhat surprisingly, the tail behavior of emerging stock markets is not more strongly inclined to structural change than their developed counterparts. Emerging currencies, on the contrary, are more prone to shifts in the tail behavior than developed currencies. Our results suggest that extreme value theory (EVT) applications in hedging tail risks or in assessing the (changing) propensity to financial crises can assume stationary tail behavior over long time spans provided one considers portfolios that solely consist of stocks or bonds. However, our break results also indicate it is advisable to use shorter estimation windows when applying EVT methods to emerging currency portfolios.
A retail investor's perspective on the acceptance of Internet stock trading

In the digital economy of information and communication technology, several organizations from various industries are jumping onto the bandwagon of offering consumer-oriented electronic commerce applications. In Singapore, Internet stock trading has been at the forefront of this trend since 1998. However, to date, the penetration rate of online trading remains low. As such, this paper attempts to analyze the factors that affect the growth of Internet stock trading. We used Taylor and Todd's (1995) decomposed theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework to explain investors' acceptance through their intentions to trade online and to rationalize their intentions in terms of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and other related variables. The model is tested based on 291 responses obtained through personal interviews. The measures and hypotheses were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results show that attitude and social factors significantly influence investors' intention towards adopting Internet stock trading.
An official American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society statement: pulmonary function testing in preschool children.

Nicole Beydon, Stephanie D. Davis, Enrico Lombardi, Julian L. Allen, Hubertus G. M. Arets, Paul Aurora, Hans Bisgaard, G. Michael Davis, Francine M. Ducharme, Howard Eigen, Monika Gappa, Claude Gaultier, Per M. Gustafsson, Graham L. Hall, Zoltán Hantos, Michael J. R. Healy, Marcus H. Jones, Bent Klug, Karin C. Lødrup Carlsen, Sheila A. McKenzie, François Marchal, Oscar H. Mayer, Peter J. F. M. Merkus, Mohy G. Morris, Ellie Oostveen, J. Jane Pillow, Paul C. Seddon, Michael Silverman, Peter D. Sly, Janet Stocks, Robert S. Tepper, Daphna Vilozni, and Nicola M. Wilson, on behalf of the American Thoracic Society/ European Respiratory Society Working Group on Infant and Young Children Pulmonary Function Testing
Data-driven controller design for nonlinear systems: a two degrees of freedom architecture

In this paper, the D2-IBC (Data-Driven Inversion Based Control) approach for nonlinear control is introduced and analyzed. The method does not require any a-priori knowledge of the system dynamics and relies on a two degrees of freedom scheme, with a nonlinear controller and a linear controller running in parallel. In particular, the former is devoted to stabilize the system around a trajectory of interest, whereas the latter is used to boost the closed-loop performance. The paper also presents a thorough stability and performance analysis of the closed-loop system.