Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Ad-Blockers on Consumer Behavior: A Lab Experiment

Ad-blocking applications have become increasingly popular among Internet users. Ad-blockers have known privacyand security-enhancing implications, such as improvement in browsing experience due to reduction of visual clutter and increased speed of page loading; protection of users’ decision-making autonomy, choice and control over browsing experience; and decrease in exposure to malicious advertising. Some adblockers also attempt to reduce online tracking. However, little is known about their impact on consumer behavior, particularly in the context of online shopping. The online advertising industry has claimed that targeted ads help consumers find better and cheaper deals faster. Following the logic of this claim, using adblockers should deprive consumers of these benefits. We designed a lab experiment (N=212) with real economic incentives to vet those claims. We focus on the effects of blocking contextual ads on participants’ online purchase behavior. Contextual ads are targeted to specific contexts, such as search query or webpage content. We find that blocking contextual ads did not have a statistically significant effect on the prices of products participants chose, the time they spent searching for them, or how satisfied they were with the chosen products, prices, and perceived quality. Thus, we do not reject the null hypothesis that consumer welfare stays constant when those ads are blocked or are shown. In other words, we do not find evidence that the presence of contextual ads or their removal using an ad-blocker decreases (or increases) consumer welfare in terms of prices paid, search costs, or product satisfaction. Hence, the use of ad-blockers does not compromise privacy and security benefits in exchange for consumer welfare. We discuss the implications of this work in terms of end-users’ privacy, its limitations, and future work to extend these results.
Influence of games system on the physical and physiological demands in young soccer 7 (U12)

The aim of this article was to describe activity patterns and heart rate frequency of young players in soccer 7 through GPS technology and to determine whether differences exist according to the game system utilized during matches. 42 players were investigated (11.2±0.7 years; 146±0.1 cm; 42±9.4 kg; 19.6±3.2 body mass). The players participated in fifteen matches using the 1-3-3 system and another fifteen using the 1-2-3-1 system, each match lasting twenty five minutes. Maximum heart rate (HRmax) and average heart rate(HRavg) were registered (absolute and relative) and so were the following physical variables: total distance, distance covered in different speed ranges, sprint characteristics, number of accelerations/decelerations during the different ranges of intensity and the indicators of global load (work-rest ratio, maximum speed and Effindex). In both of the game play systems studied (1-3-3 and 1-2-3-1) similar results were obtained in all the physical variables. However the time that the players spent over 90% of HRmax (6.86% vs. 3.17%) were significantly (p=0.015) higher in the 13-3 system than in the 1-2-3-1 system. It is also worth noting that the distance covered in the last 5 minutes of the game was significantly (p<0.01) lower than the distances covered in the first four periods of five minutes in both of the game systems. Knowing the demands of competition is the basis on which specific training for each sport is based. In this sense it is necessary to undertake further investigations that provide precise data on the demands (load) in each specialization, not only among the elite, but also in inferior categories. Key-Words:young soccer, GPS, physical load, heart rate, player position.
Review: Primary healthcare in six sub-Saharan African countries: an impact assessment using a systematic review

Primary healthcare is provided in most developing and developed countries to enhance healthcare accessibility for the population. This study accesses the impact of primary healthcare in six Sub-Saharan countries. A systematic search for qualitative and quantitative studies published before the end of 2017 was conducted online. Inclusion criteria were met by 6 studies, one each from Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Five studies are peer-reviewed, and one is a working paper. Three studies reported on the impact of primary healthcare on healthcare accessibility. Four studies reported on the role healthcare resources play in enhancing primary healthcare services. Two other studies mentioned how cost-sharing mechanism led to an increase in healthcare utilization and how the reduction in user changes in all primary healthcare centers led to the reduction in out-of-pocket spending on healthcare services in a short-term. Primary healthcare offers access and utilization to healthcare services in most countries. It also offers protection against the detrimental effects of user fees. However, concerted efforts are still needed in most African countries in revitalizing the operations of primary healthcare centers for the improvement of healthcare services.
The Impact of Leadership Styles on Employees’ Psychological Empowerment, in Greek Sport Departments

Effective leadership is a matter of constant concern as a sequence of factors hampers employees’ capabilities and their progress, team spirit, the establishment of collaboration, a common vision for the future, policymaking and finally, the configuration of a healthy workplace environment. The present research aimed to examine the effects/correlations of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles on employees psychological empowerment in the context of local Greek municipalities. The sample of the research constituted 29 managers and 247 employees of local Greek municipalities, of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, of Western Macedonia and of Central Macedonia. To investigate the specific concern, the managers completed the multifactor leadership questionnaire of Bass and Avolio (1997), and the employees completed the psychological empowerment instrument of Spreitzer (1995). For the statistical data analysis, SPSS 20 was used. More specifically, regression analysis was used for the variables that satisfied the affair of regularity, while for those variables that were not satisfactory, non-parametric Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used. The non-parametric Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient shows that self-determination, as a dimension of psychological empowerment, had a strong positive correlation with idealized influence attributes (IIA) (r=0.492; p=0.007), and strong negative correlation with idealized influence behaviour (IIB) (r=-0.421; p=0.023) of the transformational leadership style. In contrast, neither the transactional style nor the laissez-faire style had strong effects with any dimension of psychological empowerment. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Moderating Effects of Gender and Resistance to Change on the Adoption of Big Data Analytics in Healthcare

The big data analytics (BDA) has dragged tremendous attention in healthcare organizations. Healthcare organizations are investing substantial money and time in big data analytics and want to adopt it to get potential benefits. Thus, this study proposes a BDA adoption model in healthcare organizations to explore the critical factors that can influence its adoption process. The study extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) with the self-efficacy as an external factor and also includes gender and resistance to change (RTC) as moderators to strengthen the research model. The proposed research model has been tested on 283 valid responses which were collected through a structured survey, by applying structural equation modeling. Our results portray that self-efficacy is a strong predictor of intention to use BDA along with other TAM factors. Moreover, it is confirmed by the results that RTC dampens the positive relationship between intention to use and actual use of BDA in healthcare organizations. The outcomes revealed that male employees as compared to female employees are dominant towards the positive intention to use BDA. Furthermore, females create more RTC than males while adopting BDA in healthcare organizations. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research directions also underlined in this study.
Lactonase Activity, Status, and Genetic Variations of Paraoxonase 1 in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Background Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is a calcium-dependent multifunctional enzyme that binds to high-density lipoproteins. The physiological function of PON1 is related to its lactonase activity. However, this activity has not been analyzed in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The present study investigated the lactonase activities and status of PON1 and their association with PON1 genetic variants and oxidative stress indices in Chinese women with GDM. Methods This is a case-control study of 347 women with GDM and 288 women with uncomplicated pregnancies. PON1 levels and lactonase activities were analyzed using 7-O-diethylphosphoryl-3-cyano-4-methyl-7-hydroxycoumarin (DEPCyMC) and 5-thiobutyl butyrolactone (TBBL), respectively. A normalized lactonase activity (NLA) was estimated based on the ratio of TBBLase to DEPCyMCase activity. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels, and PON1 genetic variants and oxidative stress indices in Chinese women with GDM. Results PON1 lactonase activity and levels of TOS, TAC, and MDA were higher in the GDM women compared with the control women. The PON1 -108C→T genetic variation decreased the levels and lactonase activities of PON1 in a genotype-dependent manner in the patient and control groups. GDM patients with the PON1 -108TT genotype displayed lower NLA than those with the -108CC or -108CT genotype. GDM patients with the RR genotype of PON1 192Q/R polymorphism had significantly lower PON1 lactonase activities and NLA and tended to have decreased PON1 levels compared with those with the QQ or QR genotype. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that the PON1 -108C/T or 192Q/R variations, apolipoprotein (apo) A1, apoB, TAC, MDA, or age was significant predictors of the levels, lactonase activities, or NLA of PON1. Conclusions The lactonase activities of PON1 are increased in women with GDM. PON1 genetic variants, increased oxidative stress, and abnormalities in lipoproteins may be associated with these changes.PON1 genetic variants and oxidative stress indices in Chinese women with GDM.
Identification of Grafting-Responsive MicroRNAs Associated with Growth Regulation in Pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch]

Pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] is an economically important nut tree and grafting is often used for clonal propagation of cultivars. However, there is a lack of research on the effects of rootstocks on scions, which are meaningful targets for directed breeding of pecan grafts. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in many biological processes, but the mechanism underlying the involvement of miRNAs in grafting-conferred physiological changes is unclear. To identify the grafting-responsive miRNAs that may be involved in the regulation of growth in grafted pecan, six small RNA libraries were constructed from the phloem of two groups of grafts with significantly different growth performance on short and tall rootstocks. A total of 441 conserved miRNAs belonging to 42 miRNA families and 603 novel miRNAs were identified. Among the identified miRNAs, 24 (seven conserved and 17 novel) were significantly differentially expressed by the different grafts, implying that they might be responsive to grafting and potentially involved in the regulation of graft growth. Ninety-five target genes were predicted for the differentially expressed miRNAs; gene annotation was available for 33 of these. Analysis of their targets suggested that the miRNAs may regulate auxin transport, cell activity, and inorganic phosphate (Pi) acquisition, and thereby, mediate pecan graft growth. Use of the recently-published pecan genome enabled identification of a substantial population of miRNAs, which are now available for further research. We also identified the grafting-responsive miRNAs and their potential roles in pecan graft growth, providing a basis for research on long-distance regulation in grafted pecan.
Therapeutic Potential of Morus Nigra on 5- Fluorouracil-İ nduced Gastrointestinal Mucositis in Rats

To investigate the therapeutic potential of Morus Nigra on the mucositis of digestive system induced via 5-fluorouracil in rats. A total of 26 rats were divided into 4 groups as control (C), mucositis (M), Morus nigra extract-1(MN-1) and Morus nigra extract-2 (MN-2). Mucositis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The antioxidant enzyme levels in blood samples were analysed by ELISA. Histological analysis and immunohistochemical staining for NF-kB and TNF-α were done. Increased oxidative markers were found in mucositis group and increased antioxidative status was found in MN-1 and MN-2 groups. All histochemical analyses suggested that 5-FU causes intestinal degeneration; the MN-1 extract reduced this degeneration but did not completely treat it. The therapeutic potential of MN-2 extract was lower than the MN-1. Results of the present study suggest that, though partly, MN-1 extract in particular may have biochemically and histologically positive effects against experimental mucositis induced by 5-FU in rats.
INVESTIGATION ON PLASMON INDUCED TRANSPARENCY AND ITS APPLICATION IN AN MIM TYPECOMPOUND PLASMONIC WAVEGUIDE

In this paper, the investigation about a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) compound plasmonic waveguide is reported, which possesses the transmission property of plasmon induced transparency (PIT) and exhibits the potential application of refractive index sensing. The waveguide structure consists of an MIM-type bus waveguide, a horizontally placed asymmetric H-type resonator (AHR), and a circular ring resonator (CRR). The AHR is directly coupled with the bus waveguide, while the CRR is directly coupled to the AHR, but is indirectly coupled to the bus waveguide. Due to the destructive interference between two different transmission paths, PIT effect can be observed in the transmission spectrum. The finite element method (FEM) is used to study the PIT effect in detail. The results show that the transmission characteristics can be flexibly adjusted by changing the geometric parameters of the structure, and the proposed waveguide structure has potential application prospects in the area of temperature and refractive index sensing with higher sensitivity, better figure of merit, and in the area of slow light photonic devices.
Evaluation of Shear Strength Approaches of SFRC Deep Beams without Stirrups

The addition of steel fibres can be developed the mechanical properties and the crack control characteristics of concrete. In the last four decades, a lot of methods have been developed to estimate the shear strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) deep beams. In this study, seven different researchers’ predictions are compared with the test beams without stirrups. Although calculating of the shear strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete deep beams is a complex phenomenon, these researchers proposed different reasonable equations. Twenty nine beams has been obtained from existing sources of RC deep beam shear test results covering a wide range of beam properties and test methods. All the equations compared with their mean values, standard deviations and coefficient of variation. It is found that the equation proposed by Ashour et al. (1992) shows good agreement with regard to existing test results, giving the less coefficient of variation value than the other equations.
The impact of different clustering methods on the estimated accuracy of genomic predictors

The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of predicted molecular breeding values (MBV) in Red Angus cattle using five clustering methods; random, k-means, k-medoids, principle component (PC) analysis on the identical-by-state (IBS) genomic relationship matrix (G), and PC analysis on the numerator relationship matrix (A) using two response variables (deregressed estimated progeny difference (DEPD) and adjusted phenotypes). The prediction accuracies were estimated as the genetic correlation between MBV and the associated response variable using a bivariate animal model. Using DEPD resulted in higher estimated accuracies than when using adjusted phenotypes. There was a marginal difference in estimated accuracies between PC analysis on either the G or A matrix. K-means and kmedoids consistently had the lowest estimated accuracy while random clustering always had the highest estimated accuracy of the five clustering methods.
FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION: THE PLACE OF CULTURE AND THE DEBILITATING EFFECTS ON THE DIGNITY OF THE FEMALE GENDER

Female genital mutilation (FGM) has four major types which arise from the degree to which the external genitalia of the female are affected. Its origin is shrouded with mysteries but historical evidences point to Egypt as the source country, before its spread through countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Middle East, as well as some migrants in Europe, United States and Australia. Reasons for carrying out the practice range from ethnic and tribal cultures, family relations, tribal connections, class, economic and social circumstances; and education etc. The effects on the affected young girls and women may be short term (severe pain, shock, haemorrhage (bleeding), tetanus or sepsis (bacterial infection), urine retention, open sores in the genital region and injury to nearby genital tissue and sometimes death); or long term (physical, sexual and psychological). Different nations in the affected regions have enacted one law or the other at a point in time in their history to curb this degrading menace but the prevalence data shows that the practice is far from being eradicated. The discourse brings to the fore, the implications of FGM practice on the dignity of the female gender and proposes an annihilation of this dastardly act.
A Comparative Analysis of the Effect of Students’ Affective Characteristics on Their Science Performance between Countries Based on PISA 2015 Data PISA 2015 Sonuçlarına Göre Duyuşsal Özelliklerin Öğrencilerin Fen Performansları Üzerine Etkisinin Ülkeler Arası Karşılaştırılması

Based on the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015, this study aimed to determine the extent to which affective characteristics such as epistemic beliefs, motivation and selfefficacy predicted students’ performance in science and whether this differed between countries that exhibited different levels of achievement. In accordance with the purpose of the study, two countries were randomly selected from each of the three achievement levels defined by PISA (above average, average, and below average) and all the students that took the test from the selected countries were included in the analysis. A simple linear regression analysis was performed using the IDB Analyzer program, which facilitated the analysis of the layered data collected in this study. According to the results, it was determined that the students' affective characteristics predicted their science performance by 30% regardless of the achievement level.
Patterns of biodiversity response along a gradient of forest use in Eastern Amazonia, Brazil

The preservation of tropical forests is increasingly at risk, including forests located within human-modified landscapes that retain high conservation value. People modify and interact with these landscapes through a wide range of uses. However, our knowledge of how different forest uses affect biodiversity is limited. Here, we analyse the responses of different taxa to four distinct categories of forest management, namely old-growth forest, Brazil nut extraction areas, reduced impact logging areas, and eucalyptus plantations. Within six independent replicates of each category, we sampled three taxa (fruit-feeding butterflies, dung beetles, and trees) in eastern Amazonia. Forests under moderate use (Brazil nut extraction and reduced-impact logging) had similar, albeit slightly lower, diversity levels relative to old-growth forests, while communities in plantations were significantly less diverse. Only 4%, 20%, and 17%, of the sampled butterfly, dung beetle, and tree species, respectively, were restricted to old-growth forests. This study provides further empirical evidence of the importance of old-growth forest conservation in the context of human-modified landscapes. It also suggests that landscape matrices integrating forest uses at varying intensities are well positioned to reconcile biodiversity conservation with the production of goods that support local livelihoods.
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Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; Breast Cancer Center, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital and Chongqing Cancer Institute and Chongqing Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Cancer Metastasis and Individualized Treatment, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital and Chongqing Cancer Institute and Chongqing Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; Key Laboratory for Biorheological Science andTechnologyofMinistryof Education (Chongqing University), Chongqing University Cancer Hospital and Chongqing Cancer Institute and Chongqing Cancer Hospital, Chongqing,Chongqing, 400030, People’sRepublic of China; Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital and Chongqing Cancer Institute and Chongqing Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore 169856, Singapore; Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Research Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169867, Singapore; Bioengineering College of Chongqing University, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China
Multi-UAV Specification and Control with a Single Pilot-in-the-Loop

This work presents a multi-unmanned aerial vehicle formation implementing a trajectory-following controller based on the cluster-space robot coordination method. The controller is augmented with a feed-forward input from a control station operator. This teleoperation input is generated by means of a remote control, as a simple way of modifying the trajectory or taking over control of the formation during flight. The cluster-space formulation presents a simple specification of the system’s motion and, in this work, the operator benefits from this capability to easily evade obstacles by means of controlling the cluster parameters in real time. The proposed augmented controller is tested in a simulated environment first, and then deployed for outdoor field experiments. Results are shown in different scenarios using a cluster of three autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles.