Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IMPACT OF FLOOD HAZARD ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY VALUES IN GALT (CAMBRIDGE), ONTARIO

ABSTRACT: This study is an examination of the relationship between flooding and property values for an urban community in southwestern Ontario which has a lengthy history of flooding. As well, peoples’perceptions of the effect of flooding on property values is discussed. Analysis of sales prices and assessment data demonstrated no statistically significant differences in values of property for residences located in high- and low-risk areas either before or after a major flood in 1974. With both the high- and low-risk areas, sales prices after the 1974 flood were significantly higher than sales prices before the flood. The perceived property values followed a similar pattern. We concluded that differences in flood risk and flood experience did not adversely affect actual or perceived long-term property values.
Demystifying Research (Methods): Epistemological Design to Reduce Student Anxiety and Increase Content Enjoyment

Research Methods is a frequently-unloved course for students and instructors alike. However, successful research methods courses are linked to high-value and long-term outcomes such as stronger career preparation and higher information literacy. We propose reimaging Research Methods courses for Information Systems and Information Technology degrees as an epistemic undertaking to reduce student anxiety and increase positive experiences with research. We outline and evaluate one such course in this proof-of-value case study, finding that over half of the students achieved these goals. Those students who did not realize the intended outcomes did not have a worse experience; however, their newfound understanding of research cemented their disinterest in pursuing research careers. We propose reconsidering Research Methods’ institutional inclusion in IS curricula as a mechanism supporting diversification of junior researchers.
A Disjointed Harmony: IT-Business Alignment with LOB-led IT Innovation

With the advent of cost efficient, easy-to-use, and easy-to-manage digital technologies, line-of-business (LOB) managers are presented with an opportunity to acquire and manage technologies for innovation. Such myopic innovations could lead to conflicts with the broader corporate IT strategy, creating a misalignment. Past literature argues that organizations must attain a high degree of business and IT alignment to enable firm performance. With a backdrop of growing prevalence of digital technologies, LOB managers initiating IT innovations and corporate compliance and security reaching highest levels of importance, this research investigates how organizations could encourage LOB-led IT innovations, while maintaining corporate business-IT alignment. Using data gathered from four cases and applying the economic theory of complementarity, this study provides early insights into complementary nature of the LOB-led IT innovations.
Reliability Improvement of Voltage Regulator Modules by a Virtual Series Voltage Source

Output voltage deviation is a key performance index of voltage regulator modules (VRMs) with consecutive load transients. Usually, a large-capacity filter capacitor bank is used in VRMs to reduce the voltage deviation and stabilize the output voltage during transients. However, capacitors are one of the most vulnerable links in power electronic converters. For reliability reasons, it is essential to reduce the capacitance requirement while guaranteeing the transient performances of VRMs. Focusing on this, many efforts have been made to optimize the design of VRMs, where the transient auxiliary circuit-based scheme is a popular one. Unfortunately, there exists a large number of additional components in the existing auxiliary circuits. Considering this issue, in this article, we present a virtual series voltage source (VSVS) based auxiliary circuit scheme, which has minimum component counts. By using a controlled coupled inductor as the VSVS, the proposed scheme enables VRMs to have a relatively small transient voltage overshoot and without needing large bulk capacitance. Moreover, considering different control schemes with the same designing aim, the number and the electrothermal stress of critical components (e.g., capacitors) of VRMs are different; it is difficult to compare directly their advantages and disadvantages. Regarding this issue, this article investigates the converter-level reliability of VRMs with different control schemes. Taking a 12–3.3 V VRM as a case study, the reliability benchmarking results illustrate that the proposed scheme can significantly improve the reliability of VRMs.
A 3D Non-Stationary MIMO Channel Model for Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface Auxiliary UAV-to-Ground mmWave Communications

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communications exploiting millimeter wave (mmWave) can satisfy the increasing data rate demands for future wireless networks owing to the line-of-sight (LoS) dominated transmission and flexibility. In reality, the LoS link can be easily and severely blocked due to poor propagation environments such as tall buildings or trees. To this end, we introduce a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), which passively reflects signals with programmable reflection coefficients, between the transceivers to enhance the communication quality. Specifically, in this paper we generalize a three-dimensional (3D) non-stationary wideband end-to-end channel model for RIS auxiliary UAV-to-ground mmWave multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems. By modeling the RIS as a virtual cluster, we study the power delivering capability of RIS as well as the fading characteristic of the proposed channel model. Important channel statistical properties are derived and thoroughly investigated, and the impact of RIS reflection phase configurations on these statistical properties is studied, which provides guidelines for the practical system design. The agreement between theoretical and simulated as well as measurement results validate the effectiveness of the proposed channel model.
Structural geologic evolution of the Colorado Plateau

The Colorado Plateau is composed of Neoproterozoic, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks overlying mechanically heterogeneous latest Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic crystalline basement containing shear zones. The structure of the plateau is dominated by ten major basement-cored uplifts and associated monoclines, which were constructed during the Late Cretaceous through early Tertiary Laramide orogeny. Structural relief on the uplifts ranges up to 2 km. Each uplift is a highly asymmetric, doubly plunging anticline residing in the hanging wall of a (generally) blind crustal shear zone with reverse or reverse/oblique-slip displacement. The master shear zones are rooted in basement, and many, if not most, originated along reactivated, dominantly Neoproterozoic shear zones. These can be observed in several of the uplifts and within basement exposures of central Arizona that project “down-structure” northward beneath the Colorado Plateau. The basement shear zones, which were reactivated by crustal shortening, formed largely as a result of intracratonic rifting, and thus the system of Colorado Plateau uplifts is largely a product of inversion tectonics. The overall deformational style is commonly referred to as “Laramide,” and this is how we use this term here. In order to estimate the dip of basement faults beneath uplifts, we applied trishear modeling to the Circle Cliffs uplift and the San Rafael swell. Detailed and repeated applications of trishear inverseand forward-modeling for each of these uplifts suggest to us that the uplifts require initiation along a low-angle shear zone (between ~20° and ~40°), an initial shear-zone tip well below the basement-cover contact, a propagation (p) to slip (s) ratio that is higher for mechanically stiffer rocks and lower for mechanically softer rocks, a planar shear-zone geometry, and a trishear angle of ~100°. These are new results, and they demonstrate that the basement uplifts, arches, and monoclines have cohesive geometries that refl ect fault-propagation folding in general and trishear fault-propagation in particular. Expressions of the shear zones in uppermost basement may in some cases be neoformed shear zones that broke loose as “footwall shortcuts” from the deeper reactivated zones. Structural analysis of outcrop-scale structures permitted determination of horizontal-shortening directions in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary cover of the uplifts. These arrange themselves into two groupings of uplifts, one that reveals NE/ SW-directed shortening, and a second that reveals NW/SE shortening. Because the
How Data Privacy Regulations Affect Competition: Empirical Evidence from Mobile Application Market

Data has become a source of competitive advantages for firms in the digital economy, leading them to collect an extensive amount of personal data. This has sparked a policy debate over data privacy and security. Policymakers around the world have introduced privacy regulations to ensure the transparency of data collection and processing. How these regulations impact competition is a critical question that has not been thoroughly studied. While a data privacy regulation erects an entry barrier to new entrants in an industry, it can undermine the competitive advantage of an incumbent based on the plethora of data it has amassed. In other words, the data privacy regulation can be both anti-competitive and pro-competitive. We examine the effect of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on competitive intensity in the mobile app market. Our results indicate that GDPR has significantly affected the competition intensity in the app market. Specifically, the free app market has become more volatile after the implementation of GDPR (the pro-competitive effect). Interestingly, however, the opposite effect is found in the paid app market (the anti-competitive effect). Our work contributes to multiple streams of the information systems literature and provides meaningful insights for policymakers and managers.
Identifying Influence Mechanisms in Permissionless Blockchain Communities: The Bitcoin Case

Research on Bitcoin blockchain suggests that the inner-working of Bitcoin is not decentralized. Building on such findings from previous research, this paper identifies ‘Bitcoin influencers’ who are central to the operation of Bitcoin. These influencers are identified by performing social network analysis on the mailing list conversation during the implementation and activation of two Bitcoin blockchain rule changes i.e. ‘Versionbits’ and ‘Segregated Witness’, and implementation of one Bitcoin blockchain rule ‘Taproot’. This paper further examines the activities of these Bitcoin influencers on a mailing list and IRC chat. Our findings suggest these Bitcoin influencers are steering the decisions to enact new rules for the Bitcoin blockchain. In order to do so, these influencers are using various tactics to seek support from other members and enact the Bitcoin blockchain rules. In this way, this paper argues Bitcoin influencers are guiding the operation of Bitcoin blockchain nodes, thus, governing the Bitcoin community.
New Los Alamos Opacity Calculations

In 2015 Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) released a new set of OPLIB opacity tables for the elements hydrogen through zinc. The new LANL opacities are publicly available via our website and are already in use by the astrophysics community. In this contribution, we discuss the extension of our opacity calculations to elements beyond zinc. Such calculations are motivated by potential industrial applications (for elements such as Sn) as well as available experimental data with which to compare our calculations (for Ge and Br). After a short outline of our method for computing opacities for these elements, we make comparisons to available experimental data and find good agreement. Future plans are briefly discussed.
Understanding Inertia in Digital Transformation: A Literature Review and Multilevel Research Framework

The rise of new digital technologies requires organizations to adjust their current strategy, processes and product portfolio, a phenomenon known as digital transformation. Organizations undergoing digital transformation face substantial barriers and a range of inertial forces. While inertia has been studied to a great extent under the lens of organizational transformation, digital transformation provides a different and distinct context. Despite recent studies recognizing inertia as a key challenge for digital transformation, inertia remains poorly understood, making it harder to develop ways of successfully dealing with it. To address this gap, we conduct a literature review on inertia in relation to digital transformation. Our proposed framework incorporates the antecedents, key attributes, dimensions, moderators, and consequences of inertia. We conclude with a research agenda offering four avenues for advancing our understanding of inertia in the context of digital transformation to make digital transformation a more effective and successful endeavor.
An Inversion of Lg‐Wave Attenuation and Site Response in the North China Region

A joint inversion method for determining the Lg ‐wave attenuation along the propagation path and site response based on seismic spectral ratios was developed and applied to invert the Lg ‐wave attenuation γ and site response in the North China region: γ is related to the quality factor Q by γ = πf / UQ , where U is the velocity. Waveform data of 200 earthquakes during 2006–2008 with M L 1.7–5.5 in the area of 38°–41°N, 114°–120°E were selected for this study. More than 1500 three‐component records chosen from 81 stations on the basis of the signal‐to‐noise ratio were used in the inversion. The waveform data were processed in the frequency range of 1–6 Hz with an interval of 0.2 Hz. The results indicate that there is remarkable heterogeneity in Lg ‐wave attenuation in the study area. We divided the area into four regions according to the Lg ‐wave propagation paths. Lower γ values are found in the tectonic mountain region, higher values occur in the tectonic basin region, and moderate γ values are found for the propagation paths passing through both the mountain and basin regions. On the vertical component, γ was found to be frequency dependent and in the form ! [Graphic][1] and ! [Graphic][2] for propagation paths in the mountain and basin regions, respectively, and ! [Graphic][3] and ! [Graphic][4] for paths passing through both mountain and basin regions with seismic ray direction from the mountain to the basin and vise versa, respectively. The absolute quality factor Q ranges from 125 to 306. The response of rock sites is smooth and flat and less than five at low frequency, while that for soil sites is higher than for rock sites. For soil sites, the amplification of low‐frequency waves is higher than that for high‐frequency waves. For both site response and attenuation, no significant differences were observed between different components. Online Material: Source parameters of the studied earthquakes. [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif [2]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif [3]: /embed/inline-graphic-3.gif [4]: /embed/inline-graphic-4.gif
On some commutator theorems for fractional integral operators on the weighted Morrey spaces

Let 0 < α < n and Iα be the fractional integral operator. In this paper, we will show some weighted boundedness properties of commutator [b, Iα] on the weighted Morrey spaces L (w) under appropriate conditions on the weight w, where the symbol b belongs to weighted BMO or Lipschitz space or weighted Lipschitz space. MSC(2000) 42B20; 42B35
Development of a biorelevant dynamic model of human proximal colon: a tool for designing colon – specific drug delivery systems

A novel Dynamic Colon Model (DCM) that represents the anatomy and physiology of the human proximal colon was developed. Analysis of the hydrodynamics was performed using Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) system and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The pressures generated by the wall motion of the DCM tube compared with the available published in vivo data. The hydrodynamics in USP 2 dissolution apparatus were also assessed using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Planar Induced Fluorescence (PLIF). Areal distribution and individual striation methods showed high mixedness level close to tip. PEPT experiments were performed using particles of different buoyancy. Use of different particles gave different results in terms of velocities and residence times within the DCM tube. PET images showed that antegrade propagating waves of amplitude lower than the minimum threshold used in vivo studies were associated with flow episodes. In addition, flow episodes can occur which are not related to the wall motion. Dissolution profiles of theophylline, a high water soluble drug, released from a hydrophilic matrix obtained at viscous shear thinning media, mimicking the dewatering process in the human colon. The novel DCM provides a realistic colonic environment, enabling biorelevant in vitro assessment of the in vivo performance of dosage forms.
Semi‐diurnal internal wave diffraction caused by Dixon Entrance, British Columbia

Abstract To develop an understanding of the complex internal tidal phenomena observed near and inside Dixon Entrance, an idealized numerical model was developed for the area, which explores the influence of various topographic features on the scattering of internal tides. The model uses a non‐linear, two‐layered, frictionless finite difference formulation of the shallow water equations and is forced by a barotropic wave over simplified topography. It was found that the main bathymetric features responsible for the generation of semi‐diurnal internal tides are the steep continental slope together with the orientation of Dixon Entrance. The prevalent baroclinic wave pattern, which is similar to the one found by Buchwald (1971), suggests that the western end of Dixon Entrance can be considered as an internal tide generation region for the open ocean. Use of the simple model allows easy identification of the generated waves. When the model is run with a non‐flat channel it reproduces features observed inside Dixon Entrance.
In�uence of workload, mental health and professional quality of life on healthcare workers’ hand hygiene behavior in medical aid during COVID-19 pandemic

Background Appropriate hand hygiene behavior is much crucial during COVID-19 pandemic, which is in�uenced by workload, mental health and professional quality of life. The increasing workload, worse mental health and negative professional quality of life are severe challenges for healthcare workers, whereas the evidence of mechanism between them and hand hygiene behavior are limited. This study aimed to understand and model how HCWs’ hand hygiene behaviors were in�uenced by workload, mental health and professional quality of life. Methods A total of 1,734 healthcare workers were investigated, covering self-reported hand hygiene behavior, mental health, workload, professional quality of life and socio-demographic characteristics. Structural equation modelling was conducted to con�rm interrelationships and parameters among the variables. Findings The �nal model had a good �t (
Trends in cancer incidence and mortality in Manizales, Colombia, 2008-2017

Abstract Objective: To describe cancer incidence and mortality trends in Manizales, Colombia, between 2008-2017. Methods: All incident cancer cases in Manizales collected by the Population-based Manizales Cancer Registry between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2017, and all deaths caused by cancer in the same period, were included. The population at risk was obtained from the National Administrative Department of Statistics databases. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates were calculated by sex and cancer site. Changes in trends were assessed using Joinpoint regression. Results: There were 11,188 incident cases, 56.7% in women. There were 4,996 cancer deaths, 52.6% in women. Breast, prostate, stomach, thyroid, lung, and colon cancers accounted for 50% of all incident cases. During this period, the incidence in women decreased and equaled that of men due to a significant decrease in cervical, stomach, and lung cancers, among others; likewise, mortality in women decreased slightly due to the reduction in deaths from cervical, stomach, esophagus, and connective tissue cancers. In contrast, in men, overall incidence and mortality remained unchanged. Conclusions: In Manizales, population aging has contributed to an increased burden of cancer. In terms of incidence and mortality, progress in the fight against this disease is still discrete. It is a priority to reinforce cancer control strategies with a differential approach by sex.
An exploration of the relationship between student experiences in the school environment and school belonging

Researchers have worked for years to decrease rates of student dropout by identifying associated factors, and developing strategies to increase school success. Despite these efforts, dropout is a complicated phenomenon, making it difficult to effectively support students. There is a body of literature concerning the connection between students' sense of belonging and its relationship to dropout. This literature is reviewed in light of the effect teachers, parents, peers, and personal characteristics have on belonging and dropout. A second body of research concerning how the physical environment of schools as behavior settings affects student outcomes is also discussed. A survey was conducted with high school students to explore how these two domains can be brought together to explain student belonging and high school dropout. The research questions included (1) what factors contribute to students' feelings of connectedness and belonging to their school? (2) how does the school's social and physical environment influence students' sense of belonging? AN EXPLORATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT AND SCHOOL BELONGING A Thesis Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Educational Specialist Erin E. Welsh University of Northern Iowa December, 2009 This Study by: Erin Welsh Entitled: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Student Experiences in the School Environment and School Belonging has been approved as meeting the thesis requirement for the Degree of Educational Specialist I f/l-dtr~a'l Date 72 04 Date Knesting, C~r, Thesis Committee Dr. Gowri Betrabet Gulwadi, Thesis Committee Member ls~ esis Committee Member 11
Inference Attacks Against Genomic Data-Sharing Beacons

Genomic datasets are often associated with sensitive phenotypes. Therefore, the leak of membership information is a major privacy risk. Genomic beacons aim to provide a secure, and standardized interface for data sharing. Recent studies have demonstrated that it is possible to determine whether the victim is in the dataset, by repeatedly querying the beacon for his/her single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In this work, we propose a novel re-identiﬁcation attack and show that the privacy risk is more serious than previously thought. Our method is based on the fact that alleles at diﬀerent loci are not necessarily independent. We use the linkage disequilibrium and a high-order Markov chain-based algorithm for the inference. We show that in a beacon with 65 individuals from the CEU population, we can infer membership of individuals with 95% conﬁdence with only 5 queries, even when SNPs with minor allele frequencies (MAF) less than 0.05 are hidden as a countermeasure (as proposed in previous work). This means, we need less than 0.5% of the number of queries that existing works require to determine beacon membership under the same conditions. We further show that, counter-measures such as hiding certain parts of the genome or setting a query budget for the user would fail to protect the privacy of the participants under our adversary model.