Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Smartphone App to Support Sedentary Behavior Change by Visualizing Personal Mobility Patterns and Action Planning (SedVis): Development and Pilot Study

Background Prolonged sedentary behavior is related to a number of risk factors for chronic diseases. Given the high prevalence of sedentary behavior in daily life, simple yet practical solutions for behavior change are needed to avoid detrimental health effects. Objective The mobile app SedVis was developed based on the health action process approach. The app provides personal mobility pattern visualization (for both physical activity and sedentary behavior) and action planning for sedentary behavior change. The primary aim of the study is to investigate the effect of mobility pattern visualization on users’ action planning for changing their sedentary behavior. The secondary aim is to evaluate user engagement with the visualization and user experience of the app. Methods A 3-week user study was conducted with 16 participants who had the motivation to reduce their sedentary behavior. Participants were allocated to either an active control group (n=8) or an intervention group (n=8). In the 1-week baseline period, none of the participants had access to the functions in the app. In the following 2-week intervention period, only the intervention group was given access to the visualizations, whereas both groups were asked to make action plans every day and reduce their sedentary behavior. Participants’ sedentary behavior was estimated based on the sensor data of their smartphones, and their action plans and interaction with the app were also recorded by the app. Participants’ intention to change their sedentary behavior and user experience of the app were assessed using questionnaires. Results The data were analyzed using both traditional null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) and Bayesian statistics. The results suggested that the visualizations in SedVis had no effect on the participants’ action planning according to both the NHST and Bayesian statistics. The intervention involving visualizations and action planning in SedVis had a positive effect on reducing participants’ sedentary hours, with weak evidence according to Bayesian statistics (Bayes factor, BF+0=1.92; median 0.52; 95% CI 0.04-1.25), whereas no change in sedentary time was more likely in the active control condition (BF+0=0.28; median 0.18; 95% CI 0.01-0.64). Furthermore, Bayesian analysis weakly suggested that the more frequently the users checked the app, the more likely they were to reduce their sedentary behavior (BF−0=1.49; r=−0.50). Conclusions Using a smartphone app to collect data on users’ mobility patterns and provide real-time feedback using visualizations may be a promising method to induce changes in sedentary behavior and may be more effective than action planning alone. Replications with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings.
High-Dimensional Granger Causality Tests with an Application to VIX and News

We study Granger causality testing for high-dimensional time series using regularized regressions. To perform proper inference, we rely on heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation consistent (HAC) estimation of the asymptotic variance and develop the inferential theory in the high-dimensional setting. To recognize the time-series data structures, we focus on the sparse-group LASSO (sg-LASSO) estimator, which includes the LASSO and the group LASSO as special cases. We establish the debiased central limit theorem for low-dimensional groups of regression coefficients and study the HAC estimator of the long-run variance based on the sg-LASSO residuals. This leads to valid time-series inference for individual regression coefficients as well as groups, including Granger causality tests. The treatment relies on a new Fuk–Nagaev inequality for a class of τ-mixing processes with heavier than Gaussian tails, which is of independent interest. In an empirical application, we study the Granger causal relationship between the VIX and financial news.
Is there any Threshold in the Causal Association of Mother’s Education with Child’s Health? A Case study of Pakistan

Past studies failed to solve the problem of nonlinearity and threshold in the association of mother education with infants’ health. This research diagnoses and investigates the existence of threshold. Successive eight educational plans during 1955-1998 in Pakistan record a large variation in the educational policies and investment and a great focus on primary schooling. It motivates us to select Pakistan and construct the instrument for purging the coefficients of mother education from endogeneity bias along with the threshold impact. IV regression outcomes disclose that only 11-16 years of mother education has significant impact on infants’ health outcomes, implying a threshold level at 6-10 years schooling. Thus, it is argued that low cognitive capability via lower level of education, poor educational quality, ineffective education for health even in the text books of 6-10 years of education leads to a threshold in the relationship of mother education with child nutrition.
Social entrepreneurship innovation: A study from Mexico

Objective: The objective of this research is to explore the personal and organizational factors that lead to innovation among social entrepreneurs in Mexico. Research Design & Methods: The study includes 81 social entrepreneurs from different regions of Mexico. A questionnaire was developed taking into account five factors: creativity, autonomy, tasks, and roles of the entrepreneur and the innovation of the process and product or service. We used the quantitative approach, with structural equations. The method used was partial least squares. The research model was tested and finally the relationship between variables were confirmed. Findings: The relationship between the personal and organizational variables of the social entrepreneur on product or service innovation was verified. The social entrepreneur innovates to reach proposed goals. The mediation analysis was significative and provided new research patterns for future study. Implications & Recommendations: It is necessary to sensitise the different governmental and non-governmental sectors that promote social entrepreneurship in Mexico. Social entrepreneurship education could contribute to address the economic and labour short-age in Mexico. Social entrepreneurship could be an alternative way for contributing to the development of the economy and employment, particularly in emerging markets. Contribution & Value Added: This article highlights the personal and organizational factors of social entrepreneurs in Mexico that were previously studied. It contributes to the literature in the understanding of the innovation process that happens inside the social enterprise led by the business owner or manager.
Supportive Postpartum Care Reduces Postpartum Anxiety in Mothers with Twins: A Pilot Study

Postpartum mothers with twins are more prone to mental health problems, particularly anxiety. However, research regarding the appropriate interventions to overcome anxiety in postpartum mothers with twins is limited. Anxiety has an impact on the health of both mother and baby. We conducted a pilot study to minimize the risks to mothers and babies, which was supportive postpartum care (SPC). The study was performed to five postpartum mothers with twins during hospitalization. SPC was employed by providing physical support, which was in the form of breast care and oxytocin massage, psychological support in the form of relaxation techniques, information support in the form of education, and advocacy support in the form of husband involvement. This method was effective for postpartum mothers with twins in reducing anxiety, increasing breastfeeding effectiveness, increasing knowledge, and improving the husband’s involvement in care. This study showed that SPC can reduce postpartum anxiety among postpartum mothers with twins effectively. A very good increase of LATCH score and knowledge were reported in 3 out of 5 mothers. Families, especially husbands, were advised to continue providing care support through the role division at home.
Financing Resources of SMEs and Firm Performance: Evidence from Korea

Manuscript type: Research paper Research aims: This study investigates the effects of financing resources on firm performance and efficiency among the SMEs of Korea. It also examines the relevance of various factors between the sources of financing and corporate performance and efficiency. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data taken for empirical analysis are those from 2011 to 2016. Samples are taken from the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and Korea Securities Dealers Association (KOSDAQ) companies listed on the Korea Exchange. To examine the relationship between financing resources and firm performances, we employ a structural equation model (path model) derived from AMOS 24 of the SPSS. Research findings: Results show that SME’s internal finance and institutional finance have a positive effect on firm performance but other capitals have a negative effect on firm performance. Internal finance and corporate credit contribute to better efficiency whereas institutional finance has a significant negative impact on efficiency. These findings suggest that there are differences between financing resources and firm performance. Results also show that institutional finance has a negative impact on growth while other capitals have a positive effect on growth. Theoretical contribution/Originality: This study is unlike past studies; it examines the impact of financing sources on performance.The outcome derived adds to the existing literature on SMEs’ preferences towards various financing sources. The samples of this study comprise companies listed on the Korean Stock Exchange. A few studies have examined the relationship between financing resources of Korean SMEs and organisational performance in detail, thereby highlighting that the SMEs’ financing behaviour in Korea is different from other countries. The results of this study can be applied to other countries which may be similar to Korea. Practitioner/Policy implication: Our findings offer insights which can help investors, businessmen, and policymakers who are interested in the Korean Stock market to make better decisions. The results drawn from this study can be used by the respective parties to make better corporate policies with regards to financing and corporate performance. Research limitation/Implications: Future research may consider separating the financial cycles from the growth cycles, or to focus on firm size by dividing firms into large, medium, and small companies. From this study, we conclude that the most important source of financing for SMEs is internal finance which has a positive effect on corporate performance.
Quality Improvement or Perception Enhancement? The Role of Consumer Behavior and Returns Policy

Consumer valuation for a product can be increased by the improved quality or the enhanced perception. This paper studies the seller’s preference between the two forms of effort when (a) consumers enjoy a returns policy and (b) consumers may be naive or sophisticated in their return probability. It is found that, when customers are sophisticated, the seller profits more from perception enhancement by setting low price and low refund. When customers are naive, quality improvement may be more profitable, especially when consumers are less susceptible to the seller’s effort. It is suggested that, from the perspective of the seller, perception enhancement activities not be too devoted to, and from the perspective of customers, being naive might be not so bad for them to receive high quality products they expected for. Moreover, it is demonstrated that consumer behavior exerts impacts on the seller’s strategy choice between partial returns and full returns.
Tar sand extractions with microemulsions II. The dispersion of bitumen in microemulsions

Aqueous solutions containing the active components of microemulsions, i.e. surfactants and polar cosurfactants, are not effective in dissolving bitumen and consequently in extracting tar sands. On the other hand, if a light hydrocarbon such as benzene, toluene or cyclohexane is added to the active components, the microemulsion becomes a very effective extractant. To investigate this phenomenon, phase diagrams of pseudo-ternary systems (active mixture-hydrocarbon-bitumen) were determined at 25°C and in some cases in the temperature range 25 to 80°C. In most experiments, the cosurfactant was taken as 2-butoxyethanol and the hydrocarbon as toluene. Three surfactants were examined: cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, aerosol OT and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate. Various regions can be identified on the phase diagrams: suspensions of solid surfactants, microemulsions, stable and unstable emulsions. The extent of the various regions depends significantly on the relative concentrations of the various components. In general, the extent of the dispersed bitumen region increases with temperature.
Encrypted Databases: From Theory to Systems

End-to-end encrypted relational database management systems (EDBs) are the “holy grail” of database security and have been studied by the research community for the last 20 years. During this time, several systems have been proposed with a variety of limitations that include weak security, poor performance and restricted query expressiveness. We contend that this state of aﬀairs is due, in part, to a lack of cohesion between the techniques and methodologies of the database and cryptography communities. We believe that the only way to make signiﬁcant progress on this important problem is to properly leverage techniques and ideas from the two communities. Towards this end, we identify ﬁve key design principles for end-to-end encrypted relational databases. These principles include security, performance and expressiveness considerations. We describe a system called KafeDB ; the ﬁrst encrypted relational database system that meets these principles. KafeDB is based on a new database encryption scheme called OPX that supports a nontrivial subset of SQL queries. Our prototype, built on top of PostgreSQL , shows the feasibility of our approach. TPC-H shows our prototype is about one to three order of magnitude slower than optimized plain-text PostgreSQL and requires about one order of magnitude more storage while oﬀering end-to-end security.
Towards Outsourcing of Facilities Management Services in Educational Sector (A Case Study of Borno State Tertiary Institutions, Nigeria)

This paper examines outsourcing of Facilities Management Services in Borno State tertiary institutions. Literature on the nature and meaning of facilities management; the development of facilities management in Nigeria, types of facilities management techniques as well as the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing were reviewed. For the purpose of this study questionnaire was administered on a sample of one hundred and twenty (120) respondents who were randomly selected from the four (4) state owned tertiary institutions in Maiduguri Metropolis of Borno State through simple and purposive random sampling techniques. Tables and simple percentages were used to analyze the data acquired. The analysis of data indicated that the most commonly outsourced facilities management service in the education sector is grocery and catering in order to provide for the growing number of students and staff and that the main driver for these services is cost reduction as a result of inadequate funding of the sector from the government, hence, the decision to outsourced remains an important strategic solution. Therefore, there is the need for exploring facilities management services in order to gain quality services from another organization’s expertise. This is possible through the involvement of professional Facilities Managers and Estate Surveyors and Valuers as they are not only professionals in the management of land, buildings, plant and machinery but also experts in outsourcing of facilities management services.
Semaphorins as emerging clinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer

Semaphorins are a large family of developmental regulatory signals, characterized by aberrant expression in human cancers. These molecules crucially control cell-cell communication, cell migration, invasion and metastasis, tumor angiogenesis, inflammatory and anti-cancer immune responses. Semaphorins comprise secreted and cell surface-exposed molecules and their receptors are mainly found in the Plexin and Neuropilin families, which are further implicated in a signaling network controlling the tumor microenvironment. Accumulating evidence indicates that semaphorins may be considered as novel clinical biomarkers for cancer, especially for the prediction of patient survival and responsiveness to therapy. Moreover, preclinical experimental studies have demonstrated that targeting semaphorin signaling can interfere with tumor growth and/or metastatic dissemination, suggesting their relevance as novel therapeutic targets in cancer; this has also prompted the development of semaphorin-interfering molecules for application in the clinic. Here we will survey, in diverse human cancers, the current knowledge about the relevance of semaphorin family members, and conceptualize potential lines of future research development in this field.
Scaling VO2max to body size differences to evaluate associations to CVD incidence and all-cause mortality risk

Objective To evaluate and compare ratio and allometric scaling models of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) for different body size measurements in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and all-cause mortality. Methods 316 116 individuals participating in occupational health screenings, initially free from CVD, were included. VO2max was estimated using submaximal cycle test. Height, body mass and waist circumference (WC) were assessed, and eight different scaling models (two evaluated in a restricted sample with WC data) were derived. Participants were followed in national registers for first-time CVD event or all-cause mortality from their health screening to first CVD event, death or 31 December 2015. Results Increasing deciles of VO2max showed lower CVD risk and all-cause mortality for all six models in the full sample (p<0.001) as well as with increasing quintiles in the restricted sample (eight models) (p<0.001). For CVD risk and all-cause mortality, significantly weaker associations with increasing deciles for models 1 (L·min−1) and 5 (mL·min−1·height−2) were seen compared with model 2 (mL·min−1·kg−1), (CVD, p<0.00001; p<0.00001: all-cause mortality, p=0.008; p=0.001) and in some subgroups. For CVD, model 6 (mL·min−1·(kg1·height−1)−1) had a stronger association compared with model 2 (p<0.00001) and in some subgroups. In the restricted sample, trends for significantly stronger associations for models including WC compared with model 2 were seen in women for both CVD and all-cause mortality, and those under 50 for CVD. Conclusion In association to CVD and all-cause mortality, only small differences were found between ratio scaling and allometric scaling models where body dimensions were added, with some stronger associations when adding WC in the models.
Systematic analysis of enhancer regulatory circuit perturbation driven by copy number variations in malignant glioma

Background: Enhancers are emerging regulatory regions controlling gene expression in diverse cancer types. However, the functions of enhancer regulatory circuit perturbations driven by copy number variations (CNVs) in malignant glioma are unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the comprehensive enhancer regulatory perturbation and identify potential biomarkers in glioma. Results: We performed a meta-analysis of the enhancer centered regulatory circuit perturbations in 683 gliomas by integrating CNVs, gene expression, and transcription factors (TFs) binding. We found widespread CNVs of enhancers during glioma progression, and CNVs were associated with the perturbations of enhancer activities. In particular, the degree of perturbations for amplified enhancers was much greater accompanied by the glioma malignant progression. In addition, CNVs and enhancers cooperatively regulated the expressions of cancer-related genes. Genome-wide TF binding profiles revealed that enhancers were pervasively regulated by TFs. A network-based analysis of TF-enhancer-gene regulatory circuits revealed a core TF-gene module (58 interactions including seven genes and 14 TFs) that was associated survival of patients with glioma (p < 0.001). Finally, we validated this prognosis-associated TF-gene regulatory module in an independent cohort. In summary, our analyses provided new molecular insights for enhancer-centered transcriptional perturbation in glioma therapy. Conclusion: Integrative analysis revealed enhancer regulatory perturbations in glioma and also identified a network module that was associated with patient survival, thereby providing novel insights into enhancer-centered cancer therapy.
Low Blood Donation Practice of Health Sciences College Students in Northeast Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction Blood transfusion is a basic and an emergency intervention in health care facilities which has a great role in reducing significant morbidity and mortality. However, there is a major shortage of blood and blood products in developing countries including Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess practice of blood donation and associated factors among health science college students in Dessie town, northeast Ethiopia. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among health science college students from May to June 2019. A pre-tested and self-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Multivariable logistic regression analysis model was applied to identify independent predictors of blood donation practice at the level of significance below 0.05. Results Overall, 12.4% (95% CI: 9.5–15.5) of participants had been donated blood at least once in their lifetime. However, 59.2% of participants have willingness to donate blood in the future. In this study, older age (≥25years) (AOR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.18–4.46), had family history of blood transfusion (AOR=3.55, 95% CI: 1.71–7.36), had knowledge (AOR=2.09, 95% CI: 1.04–4.17) and favorable attitude (AOR=2.41, 95% CI: 1.01–5.75) about blood donation were significantly associated with practice of donating blood. Conclusion In this study, blood donation practice of health sciences college students was found to be low. Age, family history of blood transfusion, knowledge and attitude towards blood donation were independent predictors of blood donation practice. Therefore, Red Cross societies, Dessie town health office, health science colleges and other stakeholders should enhance the awareness of college students regarding the importance of donating blood.