Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The rise of secessionism in Catalonia: A study of the shift in nationalist discourse from an identity perspective

In 2017 Catalonia held a referendum for independence, after years with an increasingly pro-independence social and political climate. The shift in the nationalist discourse from devolution to secession and increasing support for independence inspired this thesis where the aim is to explore the dynamics behind the change from an identity perspective. With a framework of social identity theory and social representations of history, a critical discourse analytical method is used. Presidential speeches have been studied in order to understand strategies of mobilization in the name of nation and national identity. Guided by the strategies of “Identity Entrepreneurs” the findings show that widespread support could be gained by the inclusionary profile of the nationalist movement, maximising mobilisation in a diverse society. Furthermore, that the actualization of historical narratives, both by circumstances and political elite, awakened the sense of threat from Spanish repression and activated conflict and contestation between the Catalan and Spanish identities. Finally, the consequent process of “Othering” the Spanish state and communicating a preferred Catalan identity, led to dual identification becoming increasingly difficult. Providing understanding as to why there was an increasing amount of individuals identifying as exclusively Catalan and supporting independence. (Less)
Assessment of a Cattle Manure Vermicomposting System Using Material Flow Analysis: A Case Study from Uganda

Growth in cattle population is associated with increased manure generation whose current management in low-income countries is associated with health and environmental problems as well as low utilization rates. This trend can be reversed by promoting better manure management technologies. This study assessed vermicomposting as one of the technologies to manage organic wastes, using the case study in Uganda. A vermicomposting system using cattle manure and earthworms (Eudrilus euginea) was monitored for one year with the harvesting of products (compost, earthworm biomass) after every three months. Vermicompost samples from the beginning of the experiment and after every harvest were analyzed for the following parameters: pH, ash content, volatile and total solids, nutrients N, P, K, and C. Emissions of CO2, CH4, NH3, and N2O were also measured. Material flow analysis was used to determine the flows and retention of nutrients within the system. Results showed that total solids, ash, N, P, and K content significantly increased, while contents of volatile solids and C, as well as the pH, significantly decreased over time. Of the materials that entered the vermicomposting system, 46% went to vermicompost, 2% into earthworms, and 52% was lost to the atmosphere. Substance flow analysis showed that 30% of C went to vermicompost, 69% was emitted to the atmosphere, and 2% ended up in earthworms while 75% of N was transferred to vermicompost, 7% went to earthworms, and 18% escaped into the atmosphere. The cumulative emissions were 102 g CO2 kg−1 waste, 7.6 g CH4 kg−1 waste, and 3.943 × 10−5 g N2O kg−1 waste on a dry basis, while NH3 was not detected throughout the measurement time. Compared to other manure management methods, vermicomposting demonstrated good potential in conserving nutrients as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Joint reconstruction and motion estimation via nonconvex optimization for dynamic MRI

Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique. MRI reconstruction methods build upon inverse problems, variational methods and optimization in applied mathematcis. To reduce scanning time in dynamic MRI, subsampling of the measurements is needed in practice. This typically leads to artefacts due to missing information. To tackle those artefacts, time-dependent reconstruction methods, which employ not only the spatial properties of the image sequence, but also the dynamical information, are very promising. In this thesis a joint reconstruction and motion estimation framework is developed and applied to dynamic MRI reconstruction. The optimization of this joint variational model is challenging since it is nonconvex. Current approaches alternate between the convex subproblems for reconstruction and motion estimation. This approach seems to be working but there is no knowledge about the convergence. To address this problem the full nonconvex model is optimized via an alternating forward-backward splitting algorithm which is related to the PALM algorithm for nonconvex optimization. The performance of joint reconstruction and motion estimation on dynamic MRI is studied. In real medical datasets no ground truth of the flow fields is available. To address this, artificial data from computer vision, with a ground truth for the flow fields at hand, is used to construct a numerical phantom. In combination with a 4D XCAT phantom, this offers more insight into the influence of incorporating the motion on the reconstruction quality and choice of optimization method. Finally, the model is applied to experimental medical data from the Radiotherapy group of the UMC Utrecht to show its potential for real world scenarios.
Knowledge Management Practices and Innovation Outcomes: The Moderating Role of Risk-Taking and Proactiveness

This study, by the application of a linear regression by ordinary least squares (OLS), aimed to explore the relationships between knowledge management practices (KMP) and innovation outcomes (product, process, organizational, and commercial), and how they can be moderated by two dimensions of the entrepreneurial orientation (proactiveness and risk taking). This empirical study used survey data from a sample of 288 Spanish family small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The results revealed a positive effect of all the KMPs studied for at least one of the innovation variables studied. Regarding the moderating effect of proactiveness and risk taking on the KMP-innovation outcomes relationship, proactiveness negatively moderated the relationship between knowledge creation and product/process innovation. Moreover, a positive moderating effect was found for the case of knowledge application and process innovation. With regard to risk taking, the evidence found was mixed, and confirmed for some KMPs and all the innovation measures, with the exception of process innovation. The only positive moderating effect found was for knowledge storage and product innovation, whereas, contrary to expected, a negative moderating effect was found for knowledge creation, transfer, and application practices and commercial, product, and organizational innovations, respectively.
Implementation of Scratch Application to Improve Learning Outcomes and Student Motivation on Basic Programming Subjects

This study aims to improve learning outcomes and student motivation on Basic Programming Learning by utilizing the Scratch application. Research begins with identifying problems that occur in the classroom. Then designed an action to overcome it in an action cycle. In this study giving of the action takes place in two cycles. Each cycle consists of planning, implementation, observation, and reflection. In cycle 1, learning is implemented using problem-based learning model, while in cycle 2 using project-based learning. The technique of data collection is done through comprehension test, observation of learning activity, assignment of portfolio, and interview to students and related teacher. Data analysis was done using quantitative and qualitative interactive analysis techniques. The results showed that the use of Scratch application can improve learning outcomes and student motivation. This is indicated by the percentage of the student’s learning outcomes completeness by 25.7% in pre-cycle, 71.4% in cycle 1, and 94.3% in cycle 2. While the percentage of student motivation is 40.3% in pre-cycle, 75.1% in cycle 1, and 83.9% on cycle 2.
Disrupted visual input unveils the computational details of artificial neural networks for face perception

Background Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN), with its great performance, has attracted attention of researchers from many disciplines. The studies of the DCNN and that of biological neural systems have inspired each other reciprocally. The brain-inspired neural networks not only achieve great performance but also serve as a computational model of biological neural systems. Methods Here in this study, we trained and tested several typical DCNNs (AlexNet, VGG11, VGG13, VGG16, DenseNet, MobileNet, and EfficientNet) with a face ethnicity categorization task for experiment 1, and an emotion categorization task for experiment 2. We measured the performance of DCNNs by testing them with original and lossy visual inputs (various kinds of image occlusion) and compared their performance with human participants. Moreover, the class activation map (CAM) method allowed us to visualize the foci of the “attention” of these DCNNs. Results The results suggested that the VGG13 performed the best: Its performance closely resembled human participants in terms of psychophysics measurements, it utilized similar areas of visual inputs as humans, and it had the most consistent performance with inputs having various kinds of impairments. Discussion In general, we examined the processing mechanism of DCNNs using a new paradigm and found that VGG13 might be the most human-like DCNN in this task. This study also highlighted a possible paradigm to study and develop DCNNs using human perception as a benchmark.
Changes of the in vivo kinematics of the human medial longitudinal foot arch, first metatarsophalangeal joint, and the length of plantar fascia in different running patterns

Accurately obtaining the in vivo motion of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA), first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ), and plantar fascia (PF) is essential for analyzing the biomechanics of these structures in different running strike patterns. Most previous studies on the biomechanics of the MLA, first MTPJ, and PF have been based on traditional skin-marker–based motion capture, which cannot acquire the natural foot motion. Therefore, this study aimed to 1) describe the movement of the MLA, first MTPJ, and PF during running by using the high-speed dual fluoroscopic imaging system (DFIS) and 2) explore changes of the in vivo kinematics of the MLA and first MTPJ, and the length of the PF during the stance phase of running with different foot strike patterns. Fifteen healthy male runners all of whom ran with a regular rearfoot strike (RFS) pattern were required to run with forefoot strike (FFS) and RFS patterns. Computed tomography scans were taken from each participant’s right foot for the construction of 3D models (the calcaneus, first metatarsal, and first proximal phalanges) and local coordinate systems. A high-speed DFIS (100 Hz) and 3D force platform (2,000 Hz) were used to acquire X-ray images of the foot bones and ground reaction force data during the stance phase of running (3 m/s ± 5%) simultaneously. Then, 3D-2D registration was used to obtain the in vivo kinematic data of the MLA and first MTPJ and the length of the PF. When compared with RFS, in FFS, 1) the range of motion (ROM) of the medial/lateral (5.84 ± 5.61 mm vs. 0.75 ± 3.38 mm, p = 0.002), anterior/posterior (14.64 ± 4.33 mm vs. 11.18 ± 3.56 mm, p = 0.010), plantarflexion/dorsiflexion (7.13 ± 3.22° vs. 1.63 ± 3.29°, p < 0.001), and adduction/abduction (−3.89 ± 3.85° vs. −0.64 ± 4.39°, p = 0.034) motions of the MLA were increased significantly; 2) the ROM of the anterior/posterior (7.81 ± 2.84 mm vs. 6.24 ± 3.43 mm, p = 0.003), superior/inferior (2.11 ± 2.06 mm vs. −0.57 ± 1.65 mm, p = 0.001), and extension/flexion (−9.68 ± 9.16° vs. −5.72 ± 7.33°, p = 0.018) motions of the first MTPJ were increased significantly; 3) the maximum strain (0.093 ± 0.023 vs. 0.075 ± 0.020, p < 0.001) and the maximum power (4.36 ± 1.51 W/kg vs. 3.06 ± 1.39 W/kg, p < 0.001) of the PF were increased significantly. Running with FFS may increase deformation, energy storage, and release of the MLA and PF, as well as the push-off effect of the MTPJ. Meanwhile, the maximum extension angle of the first MTPJ and MLA deformation increased in FFS, which showed that the PF experienced more stretch and potentially indicated that FFS enhanced the PF mechanical responses.
Investigating the User Behaviors of Sharing Health- and Fitness-Related Information Generated by Mi Band on Weibo

ABSTRACT Nowadays, smartphones and wearable devices can obtain health- and fitness-related information for better health management. With the popularity of social network sites (SNSs), sharing such information becomes increasingly ubiquitous, and there are some researches about such sharing behaviors. However, the sharing behaviors of health- and fitness-related information generated by wearable devices on public SNSs have not been fully studied. In this study, the authors collected health- and fitness-related information generated by Mi band on Weibo and analyzed the sharing behaviors of Weibo users. They selected 126 sharers to study the motivations of sharing different types of health- and fitness-related information and explore the factors of influencing motivations. They collected 2322 pieces of such shared information and corresponding responses to study what sharers posted, what audiences responded, and the relationship between the features of sharing and the number of responses. In addition, the authors present some design recommendations for the sharing function of wearable devices applications.
Consumer perceptions of restaurant employee smoking

ABSTRACT In today’s environment, satisfying and retaining customers is critical; therefore, restaurant managers should consider hygiene practices that customers could encounter during their visit. The purpose of this study was to understand the customers’ perception of employees smoking in the restaurant industry. Specifically, the impact of seeing and smelling cigarette smoke on satisfaction, revisit intention, positive word-of-mouth intention, and perceived value was studied using four scenarios. A web-based questionnaire with 480 responses indicated seeing and smelling cigarette smoke influences customers’ perception. Further analysis showed smelling affects perception more than seeing. Results offer practical and theoretical implications for the restaurant industry.
A Conceptual Framework for Essential Oils Marketing: A Systems Approach

Essential oils have a high economic value because of their utilities as perfumes, food flavors, and medicinal raw materials. Indonesia is one of the countries producing and exporting essential oils in the world, although the development of Indonesian essential oils industry has not been able to meet global demand. The main problem of Indonesian essential oils marketing is the fluctuating in price. Some research conducted only focus on certain factors that influence the dynamics of Indonesian essential oils prices, but no researches have integrated factors that influence the dynamics. An integrated model, in which all variables that influence the dynamics of Indonesian essential oils prices are illustrated in a relationship between variables, will help policy makers to understand the system better. This research uses a systems dynamic approach, a conceptual framework that has been developed to show various factors that have an impact on fluctuating prices of Indonesian essential oils. A causal loop diagram is developed based on literature review and statistical analysis, while regression analysis is used to validate the framework. The Causal loop diagram illustrates the reciprocal relationship between several variables that affect the dynamics of fluctuating prices of essential oils. This framework can be used as a basis for further research related to the development of the essential oils agro‐industry.
Percepção de privacidade em redes sociais

Sitios de Redes Sociais experimentaram um crescimento exponencial nos ultimos anos. Os usuarios dessas redes publicam e compartilham uma grande quantidade de informacoes pessoais sem estar cientes muitas vezes das suas implicacoes na vida privada. As informacoes pessoais publicadas nesses sitios podem se tornar uma mina de ouro para empresas de marketing e criminosos virtuais. A caracterizacao da percepcao de privacidade dos usuarios e importante para se definir solucoes tecnologicas e juridicas. Os usuarios de uma rede social esperam que a mesma forneca boa protecao de privacidade ou mecanismos apropriados que lhes permitam tomar decisoes sobre o controle de privacidade dos seus dados. Esta dissertacao investiga a percepcao de privacidade de usuarios do Facebook, a maior rede social da atualidade. O presente estudo e um dos primeiros a caracterizar a percepcao de privacidade em uma rede social atraves de um experimento no mundo real e nao atraves de entrevistas.
Testis- specific Y-encoded- like protein 1 and cholesterol metabolism: Regulation of CYP1B1 expression through Wnt signaling

The cytochromes P450 (CYPs) represent a large gene superfamily that plays an important role in the metabolism of both exogenous and endogenous compounds. We have reported that the testis-specific Y-encoded-like proteins (TSPYLs) are novel CYP gene transcriptional regulators. However, little is known of mechanism(s) by which TSPYLs regulate CYP expression or the functional consequences of that regulation. The TSPYL gene family includes six members, TSPYL1 to TSPYL6. However, TSPYL3 is a pseudogene, TSPYL5 is only known to regulates the expression of CYP19A1, and TSPYL6 is expressed exclusively in the testis. Therefore, TSPYL 1, 2 and 4 were included in the present study. To better understand how TSPYL1, 2, and 4 might influence CYP expression, we performed a series of pull-downs and mass spectrometric analyses. Panther pathway analysis of the 2272 pulled down proteins for all 3 TSPYL isoforms showed that the top five pathways were the Wnt signaling pathway, the Integrin signaling pathway, the Gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor pathway, the Angiogenesis pathway and Inflammation mediated by chemokines and cytokines. Specifically, we observed that 177 Wnt signaling pathway proteins were pulled down with the TSPYLs. Subsequent luciferase assays showed that TSPYL1 knockdown had a greater effect on the activation of Wnt signaling than did TSPYL2 or TSPYL4 knockdown. Therefore, in subsequent experiments, we focused our attention on TSPYL1. HepaRG cell qRT-PCR showed that TSPYL1 regulated the expression of CYPs involved in cholesterol-metabolism such as CYP1B1 and CYP7A1. Furthermore, TSPYL1 and β-catenin regulated CYP1B1 expression in opposite directions and TSPYL1 appeared to regulate CYP1B1 expression by blocking β-catenin binding to the TCF7L2 transcription factor on the CYP1B1 promoter. In β-catenin and TSPYL1 double knockdown cells, CYP1B1 expression and the generation of CYP1B1 downstream metabolites such as 20-HETE could be restored. Finally, we observed that TSPYL1 expression was associated with plasma cholesterol levels and BMI during previous clinical studies of obesity. In conclusion, this series of experiments has revealed a novel mechanism for regulation of the expression of cholesterol-metabolizing CYPs, particularly CYP1B1, by TSPYL1 via Wnt/β-catenin signaling, raising the possibility that TSPYL1 might represent a molecular target for influencing cholesterol homeostasis.
Mispricing at the Oslo stock exchange : how suitable are the mispricing models of Stambaugh and Yuan for describing norwegian stock returns?

This thesis assesses the suitability of the threeand four-factor mispricing models of Stambaugh and Yuan (2017) in describing Norwegian stock returns in the period between 1998 and 2018. As such, it is one of the first studies of their mispricing factors applied to other capital markets. Using a new data set I find that all of the mispricing factors are found to have a significant effect in describing cross-sectional return differences. In constructing singleand double-sorted test assets on a wide range of anomalies, I observe a strong momentum effect but little evidence of a size and liquidity effect at the Oslo Stock Exchange, inconsistent with some of the earlier evidence from the Norwegian market. When testing the mispricing models against the three-factor models of Fama and French (1993) and Næs, Skjeltorp, and Ødegaard (2009), I find that none of the asset pricing models consistently outperform the others in neither absolute nor relative terms, and that the results of the asset pricing tests are sensitive to both the choice of test assets and weighting schemes. In spanning regressions, neither the three-factor model of Fama and French (1993) nor the three-factor model of Næs et al. (2009) are able to accommodate any the mispricing factors.
Racial Stereotypes, Extended Criminalization, and Support for Breed-Specific Legislation: Experimental and Observational Evidence

Scholars have long argued that behaviors and objects associated with criminally stereotyped minority groups can themselves become stereotyped and criminalized, leading to increased punitiveness. Yet, this extended criminalization hypothesis requires theoretical development and direct empirical investigation. To address this issue, we seek to test the concept of extended criminalization, which posits that behaviors associated with racial and ethnic groups accentuate and aggrandize perceived threat of minority groups through a reinforcing process. We examine the extended criminalization hypothesis in the context of breed-specific legislation (BSL). Using data from a survey-based experiment conducted with a sample of young adults from two universities (N = 525), we test the effects of racial priming on support for laws banning pit bulls. Findings from the experimental manipulation are supplemented with observational findings using measures of racial stereotypes of pit bull owners and breeders. Respondents in the treatment and control groups did not significantly differ in their likelihood of supporting BSL, and the same was true when analyzing Whites separately. The observational findings were consistent with the experimental findings. The findings do not support the extended criminalization hypotheses. Neither racial priming nor stereotypes of pit bull owners and breeders were associated with support for BSL. We outline additional avenues for research on the extended criminalization hypothesis.
Can Tail Risk Explain Size, Book‐To‐Market, Momentum, and Idiosyncratic Volatility Anomalies?

We examine the impact of aggregate tail risk on return dynamics of size, book-to-market ratio, and idiosyncratic volatility sorted portfolios. Using changes in VIX Tail Hedge Index (ΔVXTH) as a proxy for aggregate tail risk, and controlling for market, size, book-to-market, and aggregate volatility risk, we document significant portfolio return exposures to tail risk. In particular, portfolios that contain small, value and volatile stocks exhibit consistently positive and statistically significant tail risk betas, whereas portfolios of big, growth and non-volatile stocks exhibit negative tail risk betas. We posit that due to their positive tail risk exposures, tail risk-averse investors demand extra compensation to hold small, value, and high idiosyncratic volatility stocks. Our results offer a tail risk-based explanation to size, value, and idiosyncratic volatility anomalies.