Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Qualitative Evaluation of E-Government Service Based on Participatory Index and Balanced Scorecard Approach

Current trend of e-government has changed from the provision of services to the use of information and communication technology to increase the value of services. However, despite the importance of the evaluation of e-government services, literature shows that e-government evaluation is still an immature area in terms of development and management. In this paper, two methods to evaluate the quality of the service offered by e-government are explored respectively. Citizen e-participation index evaluates the target achievement. While the modified BSC model as a process management to control the qualified service delivery. Adopting the two methods together can better assess performance of e-government which is different from other single-method adopted evaluation approach.
Walking Performance: Correlation between Energy Cost of Walking and Walking Participation. New Statistical Approach Concerning Outcome Measurement

Walking ability, though important for quality of life and participation in social and economic activities, can be adversely affected by neurological disorders, such as Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis or Traumatic Brain Injury. The aim of this study is to evaluate if the energy cost of walking (CW), in a mixed group of chronic patients with neurological diseases almost 6 months after discharge from rehabilitation wards, can predict the walking performance and any walking restriction on community activities, as indicated by Walking Handicap Scale categories (WHS). One hundred and seven subjects were included in the study, 31 suffering from Stroke, 26 from Spinal Cord Injury and 50 from Multiple Sclerosis. The multivariable binary logistical regression analysis has produced a statistical model with good characteristics of fit and good predictability. This model generated a cut-off value of.40, which enabled us to classify correctly the cases with a percentage of 85.0%. Our research reveal that, in our subjects, CW is the only predictor of the walking performance of in the community, to be compared with the score of WHS. We have been also identifying a cut-off value of CW cost, which makes a distinction between those who can walk in the community and those who cannot do it. In particular, these values could be used to predict the ability to walk in the community when discharged from the rehabilitation units, and to adjust the rehabilitative treatment to improve the performance.
Validation of Pediatric Index of Mortality-2 Scoring System in a Single Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Iran

Objective A study to validate and calibrate Pediatric Index of Mortality-2 (PIM2) in children admitted to our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods This is a prospective cohort study performed in Bahrami Children's Hospital affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. We studied the patients admitted to PICU from May 2007 to November 2008. Clinical measures were identified upon arrival in PICU. We used PIM2 score and logistic regression analysis to compare expected mortality risk with observed mortality rate. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was done and standardized mortality ratio was calculated. PIM2 Index assessment was performed by use of Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. Findings 240 patients were included in this study. The model fit was achieved adequately (P value=0.741). The area under the ROC curve was 0.795 (0.715-0.875 for 95% confidence interval) and standardized mortality ratio was 1.8 (1.28-2.465 for 95% confidence interval) High-risk group diagnosis with adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=14.75, pupil reaction to light (AOR=0.13) and duration of stay in PICU (AOR=1.03) had significant statistical association to pediatric mortality. Conclusion PIM2 is a good index for prediction of mortality in our pediatric intensive care unit. This study revealed that there is significant statistical association between the children mortality and the length of hspita;ization, pupillary light reflex and the risk level category on admission.
Spermatogenesis from epiblast and primordial germ cells following transplantation into postnatal mouse testis

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are derived from a population of pluripotent epiblast cells in mice. However, little is known about when and how PGCs acquire the capacity to differentiate into functional germ cells, while keeping the potential to derive pluripotent embryonic germ cells and teratocarcinomas. In this investigation, we show that epiblast cells and PGCs can establish colonies of spermatogenesis after transfer into postnatal seminiferous tubules of surrogate infertile mice. Furthermore, we obtained normal fertile offspring by microinsemination using spermatozoa or spermatids derived from PGCs harvested from fetuses as early as 8.5 days post coitum. Thus, fetal male germ cell development is remarkably flexible, and the maturation process, from epiblast cells through PGCs to postnatal spermatogonia, can occur in the postnatal testicular environment. Primordial germ cell transplantation techniques will also provide a novel tool to assess the developmental potential of PGCs, such as those manipulated in vitro or recovered from embryos harboring lethal mutations.
The Power of Words in Message Planning

Before engaging in a conversation, a message must be planned. While there are many ways to perform this task, I believe that people do this in the following way, in particular if the message is going to be long: first an outline is planned (global, or skeleton planning), which is then filled in with details (local planning, elaboration). Planning proceeds thus from general to specific (breadth first), that is, sentences are planned incremetally by gradual refinement of some abstract thought rather than in one go (one-shot process) where every element is planned down to its last details.While global planning is largely language independent, local planning can be language dependent: the dictionary acts a mediator, interfacing language and thought. Given the fact that words can be used to specify non linguistic thought, there is feedback from the lexical to the conceptual component. This being so, dictionaries may play a fundamental role in guiding and potentially modifying non linguistic thought. If my view is correct, this could have implications on the design of generation architectures: instead of separating message planning and realization, viewing the process as being strictly sequential, we could allow for feedback loops (interleaved process), whereby the linguistic component could feed back to the conceptual component.
A scientific theory of Ars Memoriae: Spatial view cells in a continuous attractor network with linked items

The art of memory (ars memoriae) used since classical times includes using a well‐known scene to associate each view or part of the scene with a different item in a speech. This memory technique is also known as the “method of loci. ” The new theory is proposed that this type of memory is implemented in the CA3 region of the hippocampus where there are spatial view cells in primates that allow a particular view to be associated with a particular object in an event or episodic memory. Given that the CA3 cells with their extensive recurrent collateral system connecting different CA3 cells, and associative synaptic modifiability, form an autoassociation or attractor network, the spatial view cells with their approximately Gaussian view fields become linked in a continuous attractor network. As the view space is traversed continuously (e.g., by self‐motion or imagined self‐motion across the scene), the views are therefore successively recalled in the correct order, with no view missing, and with low interference between the items to be recalled. Given that each spatial view has been associated with a different discrete item, the items are recalled in the correct order, with none missing. This is the first neuroscience theory of ars memoriae. The theory provides a foundation for understanding how a key feature of ars memoriae, the ability to use a spatial scene to encode a sequence of items to be remembered, is implemented. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Novel Rank-Level Fusion for Multispectral Palmprint Identification System

Multispectral imaging has been effectively used in the fields of computer vision and human verification to analyze information captured from several bands of the electromagnetic spectrum recently. In this paper, a novel Gabor-based palm print identification algorithm on multispectral images is proposed. Various features are extracted from convolving the Gabor kernels with each image sample. Logistic regression method is used to fuse obtained ranks of each spectral band authentication. The proposed algorithm is evaluated on PolyU database which contains palm print images from 400 individuals from each band. The obtained results show robustness of our algorithm in comparison with other works that presented in the literature.
Mobile Application Design for Protecting the Data in Cloud Using Enhanced Technique of Encryption

This paper provides an enhanced technique for improving the security and protecting the privacy of the cloud computing users by encrypting the data before it reached to server’s storage. Encrypting means the process of converting information or data into unreadable language to prevent unauthorized access. This paper will propose a mobile application design, which will allow the user to encrypt and decrypt the data hence maintaining security and privacy. In the proposed system design, the AES Algorithm will handle the encryption of the data using a keyword which will be defined by the user during the creation of the account. The encryption keyword will be hashed by the system using MD5 Algorithm. The keys will remain in encrypted form, while they are on the server side. Both encrypted data, encryption and decryption keys will be saved on the server in secured form. The idea behind hashing the encryption keys is to protect the keys while they are stored on the server, therefore, any unauthorized access to the server will gain no advantages since every bit of data on the server is encrypted including the private keys. The proposed system design will participate by improving the security and privacy of the users by giving them the capability to encrypt and decrypt data in enhanced way using AES as a data encryption method and MD5 hash algorithm for encrypting the encryption keys.
Detecting and analyzing I/O performance regressions

Regression testing can be performed by reexecuting a test suite on different software versions and comparing the outcome. For functional testing, the outcome of such tests is either pass (correct behavior) or fail (incorrect behavior). For nonfunctional testing, such as performance testing, this is more challenging as correct and incorrect are not clearly defined concepts for these types of testing.
A domain specific language for optimal pumping systems

This paper discusses the design and implementation of a domain-specific language for modelling energy optimal pumping systems (realizing specific flows and pressures). The domain model is transformed into a corresponding mixed-integer linear program which can be solved by standard solvers. The solution together with the original model are transformed into executable simulation models (e.g. Modelica or Matlab Simulink).
The Brazilian Earth System Model ocean–atmosphere (BESM-OA) version 2.5: evaluation of its CMIP5 historical simulation

Abstract. The performance of the coupled ocean–atmosphere component of the Brazilian Earth System Model version 2.5 (BESM-OA2.5) was evaluated in simulating the historical period 1850–2005. After a climate model validation procedure in which the main atmospheric and oceanic variabilities were evaluated against observed and reanalysis datasets, the evaluation specifically focused on the mean climate state and the most important large-scale climate variability patterns simulated in the historical run, which was forced by the observed greenhouse gas concentration. The most significant upgrades in the model's components are also briefly presented here. BESM-OA2.5 could reproduce the most important large-scale variabilities, particularly over the Atlantic Ocean (e.g., the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Atlantic Meridional Mode, and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation), and the extratropical modes that occur in both hemispheres. The model's ability to simulate such large-scale variabilities supports its usefulness for seasonal climate prediction and in climate change studies.
Epidemiology and surveillance of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in two large metropolitan areas in California

Abstract Our objective was to provide demographic profiles and incidence estimates of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in two diverse California metropolitan areas: Los Angeles County (LA) and the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA). Data were retrospectively collected from multiple sources. Case eligibility criteria included residency in SFBA or LA, and treatment for or diagnosis of ALS between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2011. Overall incidence rates as well as age-, gender-, race- and ethnicity-specific rates were calculated. We identified 539 ALS cases in SFBA and 545 in LA; 618 were incident cases. Cases were more likely to be male and white. There were considerably more cases (p < 0.05) in LA who were foreign-born (LA, 22%; SFBA, 15%), black (LA, 10%; SFBA, 6%) or Hispanic (LA, 19%; SFBA, 10%). Conversely, the age adjusted incidence rates (per 100,000) were higher in SFBA for whites (LA, 1.40; SFBA, 2.49) and Hispanics (LA, 0.66; SFBA, 1.57) compared with LA. General case demographics and incidence rates in these two areas were similar to published studies. However, the differences between the two areas raise questions about how factors such as geography, access to care, and referral patterns may affect case ascertainment and diagnosis.
Role ambiguity and role conflict sebagai anteseden dari job insecurity pada contingent worker

Contingent worker merupakan fenomena umum pada hubungan kerja pada era global sebagai salah satu cara untuk menjamin fleksibilitas organisasi. Konsekuensi dari contingent worker adalah munculnya job insecurity (ketidak amanan kerja) dikarenakan adanya ketidak pastian kerja dimasa yang akan datang. Variable role conflict dan role ambiguity merupakan variable yang dapat memunculkan job insecurity. Penelitian ini menggunakan 170 contingent worker di DIY untuk menguji pengaruh role conflict dan role ambiguity terhadap job insecurity. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kedua variable tersebut tidak mempengaruhi job insecurity, karena hanya role ambiguity dan role conflict yang ekstrim saja yang akan mempengaruhi job insecurity.
Choose the red pill and the blue pill: a position paper

In the movie "The Matrix," our hero Neo must choose between taking the Blue Pill and continuing to live in an online, synthesized fantasy world, or taking the Red Pill and joining the real world. The fantasy world appears to those living in it to be full of flowers and trees and big steak dinners, but unknown to them contains malicious Agents who can alter any portion of the world to suit their needs. The real world, in turn, while real, has no visible sun, and the people have only gray mush for food. Authorization and authentication of online transactions across a network requires a trusted path between the user and the server. We posit that those who attempt to solve this problem by creating the trusted path on the general-purpose operating system have taken the Blue Pill and are living in a fantasy world. One simply cannot properly secure a general-purpose operating system. Solving the problem by taking the Red Pill and completely replacing currently used operating systems with ones that we can properly secure does not seem palatable. We suggest a solution that involves taking both the Blue Pill and the Red Pill: providing the trusted path by means of a separate device with a secure operating system, used in tandem with the existing general purpose operating system. Most user interaction occurs on the un-trusted system, with the secure device only being used to finalise transactions. We believe that the technology required for such a device is readily available. Obviously our idea is not a completely novel idea; prior work in the area has had a similar goal. However, most of those attempts have not properly addressed the requirements for the trusted system, generally preferring to use existing general-purpose systems even when on a "dedicated device. " [Balfanz 1999] [Kingpin 2001] Others have a very limited scope of use. [Blakely 2004]. We identify a minimum set of requirements for the trusted device. This paper does not provide a working solution (it is a position paper after all); we simply define how one should approach that working solution. Because we advocate a hybrid system it is possible to simplify the trusted system to a point where it would not be usable as a general purpose system, which should make the trusted system rather easier to build and have confidence in.
Scalable Mining of Daily Behavioral Patterns in Context Sensing Life-Log Data

Despite the advent of wearable devices and the proliferation of smartphones, there still is no ideal platform that can continuously sense and precisely collect all available contextual information. Ideally, mobile sensing data collection approaches should deal with uncertainty and data loss originating from software and hardware restrictions. We have conducted life logging data collection experiments from 35 users and created a rich dataset (9.26 million records) to represent the real-world deployment issues of mobile sensing systems. We create a novel set of algorithms to identify human behavioral motifs while considering the uncertainty of collected data objects. Our work benefits from combinations of sensors available on a device and identifies behavioral patterns with a temporal granularity similar to human time perception. Employing a combination of sensors rather than focusing on only one sensor can handle uncertainty by neglecting sensor data that is not available and focusing instead on available data. Moreover, by experimenting on two real, large datasets, we demonstrate that using a sliding window significantly improves the scalability of our algorithms, which can be used by applications for small devices, such as smartphones and wearables.
Paternal age and adverse birth outcomes: teenager or 40+, who is at risk?

BACKGROUND Most previous studies on the effect of paternal age have focused on the association of advanced paternal age with congenital anomalies. The objective of this study was to determine whether paternal age is associated with the risk of adverse birth outcomes, independent of maternal confounders. METHODS We carried out a retrospective cohort study of 2 614 966 live singletons born to married, nulliparous women aged 20-29 years between 1995 and 2000 in the USA. Multiple logistic regressions were applied to estimate the independent effect of paternal age on adverse birth outcomes. RESULTS Compared with infants born to fathers aged 20-29 years, infants fathered by teenagers (<20 years old) had an increased risk of preterm birth [odds ratio (OR) = 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10, 1.20], low birth weight (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.19), small-for-gestational-age births (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.22), low Apgar score (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.27), neonatal mortality (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.49) and post-neonatal mortality (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.82). Advanced paternal age (> or =40 years) was not associated with the risk of adverse birth outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Teenage fathers carry an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes that is independent of maternal confounders, whereas advanced paternal age is not an independent risk factor for adverse birth outcomes.
Sodium Hydroxide Pinpoint Pressing Permeation Method for the Animal Modeling of Sick Sinus Syndrome.

Sodium hydroxide pinpoint pressing permeation (SHPPP) was investigated in order to build a rat model of sick sinus syndrome (SSS), which is easy to operate and control the degree of damage, with fewer complications and applicable for large and small animals.Thirty healthy Wistar rats (15 males and 15 females, weighing 250-350 g) were randomly divided into 3 groups, namely a formaldehyde thoracotomy wet compressing group (FTWC), formaldehyde pinpoint pressing permeation group (FPPP) group, and SHPPP group. The number of surviving rats, heart rate (HR), sinoatrial node recovery time (SNRT), corrected SNRT (CSNRT), and sinoatrial conduction time (SACT) were recorded 3 days, one week, and two weeks after modeling.The achievement ratio of modeling was 10% in the FTWC group, 40% in the FPPP group, and 70% in the SHPPP group, and the differences were statistically significant (χ(2) = 7.250, P = 0.007). Meanwhile, the HR was reduced by about 37% in these 3 groups 3 days after modeling, while the reduction was maintained only in SHPPP (P > 0.05) and the HR was re-elevated in the FTWC and FPPP groups 2 weeks after modeling (P < 0.05). Additionally, the SNRT, cS-NRT, and SACT were significantly prolonged compared with pre-modeling in all 3 groups (P < 0.01). SHPPP was the best method with which to build an SSS model with stable and lasting low HR and high success rate of modeling, which might be helpful for further studies on the SSS mechanisms and drugs.
A Procedure for Scaling Perceptions of Lodging Quality

The concept of quality is receiving a large amount of attention from the lodging industry. However, the development of procedures and scales for accurately assessing the level of quality perceived by customers is still in its infancy. The purpose of this research was to provide researchers with a process whereby a reliable and valid instrument can be generated that will measure customers’ perceptions of delivered quality within the lodging industry. The procedures proposed are based on those suggested by Churchill. Convenience data were used to illustrate the process of scale development.
Health and function of participants in the Long Life Family Study: A comparison with other cohorts

Individuals from families recruited for the Long Life Family Study (LLFS) (n= 4559) were examined and compared to individuals from other cohorts to determine whether the recruitment targeting longevity resulted in a cohort of individuals with better health and function. Other cohorts with similar data included the Cardiovascular Health Study, the Framingham Heart Study, and the New England Centenarian Study. Diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease and peripheral artery disease tended to be less common in LLFS probands and offspring compared to similar aged persons in the other cohorts. Pulse pressure and triglycerides were lower, high density lipids were higher, and a perceptual speed task and gait speed were better in LLFS. Age-specific comparisons showed differences that would be consistent with a higher peak, later onset of decline or slower rate of change across age in LLFS participants. These findings suggest several priority phenotypes for inclusion in future genetic analysis to identify loci contributing to exceptional survival.