Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
When Diversity Is Needed... But Not Expected

Recent studies have highlighted the correlation between users' satisfaction and diversity within recommenders, especially the fact that diversity increases users' confidence when choosing an item. Understanding the reasons of this positive impact on recommenders is now becoming crucial. Based on this assumption, we designed a user study that focuses on the utility of this new dimension, as well as its perceived qualities. This study has been conducted on 250 users and it compared 5 recommendation approaches, based on collaborative filtering, content-based filtering and popularity, along with various degrees of diversity. Results show that, when recommendations are made explicit, diversity may reduce users' acceptance rate. However, it helps increasing users' satisfaction. Moreover, this study highlights the need to build users' preference models that are diverse enough, so as to generate good recommendations.
Agricultural Communication Students Perceptions, Knowledge, and Identified Sources of Information About Agritourism

Agritourism is a topic that has not been evaluated at the collegiate level. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and sources of information of agricultural communications students at the collegiate level. This quantitative descriptive study assessed agricultural communications students (N=66) from 11 different universities across the nation to determine agricultural communications students’ perceptions, knowledge, and identified sources of information regarding agritourism. The study maintained an 80.5% response rate. Respondents ranked agriculture (M=4.98) and agritourism (M=4.45) as important. Agriculturerelated festival(s) or event(s) (M=4.46) were noted as the most important agritourism venue. Generally, respondents had previously attended an agritourism event (61.5%). Word-of-mouth (81.5%), Web site (95.4%) and print advertisement(s) (93.8%) were identified as the best sources of information in promoting agritourism. Most respondents were female (81.0%), and the majority of respondents were majoring in agricultural communications (65.6%). Almost all respondents had families involved in agriculture (95.2%). Over half of the respondents indicated not knowing whether or not their state had an agritourism department (52.3%). Future studies involving non-agricultural students’ perceptions and knowledge of agritourism should be conducted.
Lipid profile norms in Indian children.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the lipid parameters in normal Indian children. DESIGN Cross-sectional. SETTING Hospital based. METHODS 410 children (siblings of hospitalized pediatric cases) between 3-12 years were evaluated for total plasma cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were derived from the above parameters using Fredrickson-Friedwald formula. RESULTS No significant difference was found between the sexes in any of the lipid parameters studied. The mean values were: TC-134.5 mg/ dl, TG-91.1 mg/dl, HDL-C-34.15 mg/dl and LDL-C-80.1 mg/dl. The suggested cut off limits for these parameters were 190 mg/dl, 150 mg/dl, 20 mg/dl and 130 mg/d respectively. CONCLUSIONS Lipid profile norms and cut off levels to define abnormalities for Indian children were recommended. The HDL-C levels were lower than western data.
Normative comparison of patient-reported outcomes in patients with noninfectious uveitis.

OBJECTIVE To compare vision-related functioning and health-related quality of life of patients with noninfectious intermediate or posterior uveitis with those of the US general population and normal-vision reference groups. METHODS Secondary analysis of health-related quality of life measures administered at baseline to patients with noninfectious intermediate or posterior uveitis participating in the HURON trial, a 26-week, multicenter, masked, randomized, sham-controlled trial of a dexamethasone intravitreal implant (n=224) was performed. Patient-reported outcome measures included the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25, the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, the Short Form-6 Dimensions, and the EuroQol-5D. The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 scores from the HURON uveitis population were compared with published National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 scores from a normal-vision reference group (n=122). The 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, Short Form-6 Dimensions, and EuroQol-5D scores were compared with the US general population using data from the National Health Measurement Study (n=3844) and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (n=955). RESULTS Compared with a normal-vision population, the HURON uveitis population had clinically significant impairments across all National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 subscales and the composite score, with all subscale score differences exceeding 10 points (P< .001). The HURON uveitis population had significantly lower 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey mental component summary and Short Form-6 Dimensions scores compared with a US general population sample (P< .001). No significant differences were found for the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey physical component summary and EuroQol-5D scores between the uveitis and US general population samples. CONCLUSIONS Compared with the US general population and normal-vision reference groups, noninfectious intermediate or posterior uveitis results in meaningful reductions in mental health outcomes, health-related quality of life, and vision-related functioning. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT00333814.
A 10-bit 400-MS/s 160-mW 0.13-/spl mu/m CMOS dual-channel pipeline ADC without channel mismatch calibration

This paper describes a 10-bit 400-MS/s dual-channel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) insensitive to offset, gain, and sampling-time mismatches between channels. An adaptive closed-loop sampling technique based on a multi-stage amplifier eliminates the channel offset effectively. Multi-stage amplifiers with high DC gain reduce the gain mismatch between channels and guarantee a large signal swing at low supply voltages. A single clock-edge sampling scheme for clock-skew reduction minimizes the sampling-time mismatch. The proposed prototype ADC in a 0.13-mum CMOS process occupies an active area of 4.2mm2, dissipates 160mW from 1.2 V and 400 MS/s, and shows a signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio of 54.8 dB with a 29-MHz sinusoidal input at 400 MS/s without any channel-mismatch calibration technique. The measured maximum offset and gain mismatches are less than 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively
3-D Micro and Nano Technologies for Improvements in Electrochemical Power Devices

This review focuses on recent advances in micro- and nano-fabrication techniques and their applications to electrochemical power devices, specifically microfabricated Lithium-ion batteries, enzymatic and microbial fuel cells (biofuel cells), and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Although the maturity of these three technologies ranges from market ready (batteries) to fundamental research (biofuel cells) to applied research (DSSCs), advances in MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) and NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems) techniques, particularly modifications in surface area and surface chemistry, and novel genetic and molecular engineering techniques, significantly improve the electrochemical activity of these technologies across the board. For each of these three categories of power-MEMS devices the review covers: (1) The technical challenges facing the performance and fabrication of electrochemical power devices; (2) Current MEMS and NEMS techniques used to improve efficiency; and (3) Future outlook and suggested improvements of MEMS and NEMS for implementation in electrochemical power devices.
The Joint Commission Versus Joint Commission International: Part I—Comparing the Standards for Medical Equipment Management and Maintenance

Healthcare organizations around the world seek accreditation as a means to prove that their services meet established standards of practice and quality. In some countries, accreditation is a prerequisite for participation in public or private health insurance programs, whereas in others it helps to earn higher reimbursement rates. Among the healthcare accreditation organizations, The Joint Commission and Joint Commission International are known for their longevity, wide scope, and prestige, with the former being the dominant player in the United States, whereas the latter being highly recognized elsewhere. Although both have a common origin, their standards have evolved separately. This article compares The Joint Commission and Joint Commission International standards and specific requirements for medical equipment management and maintenance. While most of the standards are similar, some clear differences exist. Some of these differences are traceable to national laws, regulations, and standards, whereas others are caused by lessons learned by prior surveys in respective geographies or simply tradition. In-depth discussion of these differences helps clinical engineering professionals understand the rationale—or the lack of—behind those requirements, thereby allowing them to better prepare themselves for future surveys.
Hearing loss and pneumococcal meningitis: An animal model

Clinical studies of predisposing factors in the development of hearing loss secondary to bacterial meningitis have produced conflicting results. An animal model of meningogenic labyrinthitis was developed for more precise study of these parameters. Rabbits were inoculated intrathecally with 105 pneumococci to induce meningitis. Hearing thresholds were measured using auditory‐evoked responses to 1 kHz, 10 kHz, and click stimuli before infection and every 12 hours thereafter. Profound deafness occurred in all subjects at an average of 48 hours following infection. The incidence and severity of hearing loss was strongly correlated with the duration of meningitis. Temporal bone histology revealed acute inflammation of all perilymphatic spaces including the cochlear aqueduct. This model demonstrated that the risk and severity of hearing loss increase with the duration of meningitis and suggested that the cochlear aqueduct is an anatomic pathway for the extension of infection from the cerebrospinal fluid to the cochlea. The implications for therapy in humans is discussed.
Construction, Stability, and Activity of Multivalent Circular Anticoagulant Aptamers*

Here we describe the design and construction of multivalent circular DNA aptamers. Four aptameric binding motifs directed at blood-borne targets are used as a model set from which larger, multidomain aptamers are constructed in a straightforward manner. Intra- or intermolecular ligation of precursor oligonucleotides provides a stabilizing mechanism against degradation by the predominant exonuclease activity of blood products without the need for post-selection chemical modification. In many cases, circular DNA aptamer half-lives are extended beyond 10 h in serum and plasma, making such constructs viable for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Duplexes and three-way junctions are used as scaffold architectures around which two, three, or four aptameric motifs can be arranged in a structurally defined manner, giving rise to improved binding characteristics through stability and avidity gains. Circular aptamers targeted against thrombin display improved anticoagulant potency with EC50 values 2–3-fold better than those of the canonical GS-522 thrombin DNA aptamer. Intrinsic duplex regions provide an opportunity to incorporate additional transcription factor binding motifs, whereas ancillary loops can be used to provide further functionality. These anticoagulant aptamers provide a starting point for merging the principles of DNA nanotechnology with aptameric functions.
Effects of FDI on High-Growth Firms in Developing Countries

Foreign direct investment (FDI) promotes economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction. Countries more open to trade and investment tend to be more productive and grow faster (Dollar 1992; Harrison 1996; Frankel and Romer 1999). Policy makers seek to attract FDI to create jobs, bring in cutting-edge knowledge and technology, connect to global value chains, and diversify and upgrade their economies’ production capabilities.1 The potential transmission of knowledge between foreign firms and local enterprises is an added benefi t of FDI, one that can improve the productivity of domestic enterprises and thus make economic growth more inclusive. The effects of foreign investment on the host economy are therefore a crucial element in a country’s development strategy. These FDI effects—or spillovers—on domestic fi rms can be positive or negative, depending on whether local fi rms improve or worsen their performance as a result of FDI. It can have positive effects if it brings foreign technology and frontier knowledge that, if successfully transmitted to local firms, improves their productivity. At the same time, FDI can exert a negative effect by increasing the competition in local input and output markets, thereby undermining the performance of local firms. The balance between these two forces determine the overall effect of foreign fi rms on local enterprises. At the sectoral level, greater competition in product and factor markets results in the efficient reallocation of resources from less productive to more productive fi rms, thereby increasing sectoral productivity over the long run.2 FDI can benefit domestic firms through two main channels:3
Critique of Computational Reason in the Natural Sciences

In this text, we will attempt to shortly highlight certain constitutive principles of the particular form of knowledge provided by the digital machine, the modern computer, in its relationship to Mathematics (from which it originates) and to the Natural Sciences (Physics and Biology). Our basic thesis is that the historical and conceptual richness of the theory which enabled the concrete realization of this extraordinary type of machine is far from being neutral or transparent with regard to reality. Specically, we will see that the digital machine proposes causal structures and the breakings of symmetry which generate them as being the central structures of the intelligibility of nature. This will enable to point out a distinction between \imitation and \modeling in terms of simulation or formalization, and therefore enable to highlight the limits and the potentialities of digital simulation.
Morphology, Phylogeny, and Behavior of Anolis proboscis

Abstract Males of the three species of the Anolis laevis group, so-called proboscis anoles, display a remarkable appendage extending from the snout. All A. laevis group Anolis are poorly known and rarely collected. We redescribe Anolis proboscis based on the type specimen and male and female specimens we collected recently near the town of Mindo, Pichincha Province, Ecuador. We include color notes and additional morphological measures lacking from the original description, natural history data for 11 specimens, an estimate of the phylogenetic relationships of the species, and a description of display behavior and intraspecific interactions incorporating the proboscis.
Thermal analysis of extruded aluminum fin heat sink for LED cooling application

Light Emitting Diode or LED now is becoming a popular lighting used at many types of applications. LED becomes more favorable to use than other types of lighting such as fluorescent or even light bulb. This is because LED can provide high lumens with low power electricity and does not contain any toxic material, such as fluorescent lights having mercury inside which is not good towards the environment. Advantages of using LED are high luminosity, more energy saving, high lifetime hours, and applicable in many applications. However, LED operating temperature should be considered. LEDs with high power, such as 10 Watts or more, can generate bright lighting, but also will have high operating temperature. This high operating temperature of LED should be lowered, since high operating temperature will lead to reductions of the luminosity and the lifetime of LED. Many cooling systems can be used to reduce the operating temperature of LED; a simple one is to use the extruded-fin heat sink. Heat sink is easy to manufacture, relatively low in cost, light in weight, and can become an adequate cooling means with good reliability. The choice of an optimal heat sink dimension depends on the power of heat source. In this work, 10-Watt LED with the 58 °C operating temperature was used. The aim for this study was to add extruded-fin heat sink to dissipate heat generated by the LED, with target temperature of LED decreased down to 50°C. Initial experiment was done to check the LED operating temperature and then ANSYS ICEPAK was used for numerical simulation; ANSYS ICEPAK is computational software for the study of thermal management of electronic devices and systems. For the present study, the numerical simulation of LED using extruded-fin as heat sink was performed. Through numerical simulation accounting for the variations in fin heights, fin thicknesses, fin pitches, and base heights, the optimal dimension of the heat sink was determined to achieve the target temperature of 50°C. Subsequently, prototype of aluminum fin heat sink was build to carry out the experiments for the purpose of validating the results obtained from numerical simulations. In the experiment, two kinds of thermal conductive pastes — a heat transfer compound and silver paste — were used to assemble the heat sink and LED. The effect of thermal conductive pastes on the overall thermal management of LED was investigated. Through the experiments, silver paste was proven to enhance the thermal conductivity, measured by the heat sink thermal resistance, reducing 0.02 °C/W compared with those using heat transfer compound. Both experimental tests and numerical simulations were done. Results obtained from the experiments and those obtained from the simulations were in good agreement, having percentage of differences less than 12%. From this study, it was shown that heat sinks with a good thermal conductive paste have proven to be an effective solution for the LED heat dissipation. Using ANSYS ICEPAK also has proven to be able to save time and cost for design of thermal management in electronic cooling applications.
Responsible Hospitality: Theory and Practice

Responsible hospitality - the theory. Section 1: Ch 1 - introduction; Ch 2 -the reasons for doing good; Ch 3 - defining good; Ch 4 - good in the context of hospitality Responsible hospitality - the practice. Section 2: The environment: Principle 1-avoid wasteful use of resources and protect and, where possible, improve the environment; Principle 2-prepare for the unexpected; Principle 3-developing products that are responsible and can be operated responsibly; Section 3: Pople and communities: Principle 4-Developing mechanisms to take full account of the views of people and communities; Principle 5-embed responsible business practices throughout the supply chain; Principle 6-engage employees and customers in actions that support environmental, economic and social wellbeing; Principle 7-contribute to the development of public policy that promotes environmental, social and economic wellbeing; Section 4: Fairness and transparency: Principle 8-define responsible business values and communicate good practice; Principle 9-building trust through transparent operations and reporting Section 5: Making responsible business mainstream: Principle 10 -Taking responsible business to the heart of the company; Ch 15 A Faustian bargain? ;
Statistical Image Properties in Works from the Prinzhorn Collection of Artists with Schizophrenia

The Prinzhorn Collection preserves and exhibits thousands of visual artworks by patients who were diagnosed to suffer from mental disease. From this collection, we analyzed 1,256 images by 14 artists who were diagnosed with dementia praecox or schizophrenia. Six objective statistical properties that have been used previously to characterize visually aesthetic images were calculated. These properties reflect features of formal image composition, such as the complexity and distribution of oriented luminance gradients and edges, as well as Fourier spectral properties. Results for the artists with schizophrenia were compared to artworks from three public art collections of paintings and drawings that include highly acclaimed artworks as well as artworks of lesser artistic claim (control artworks). Many of the patients’ works did not differ from these control images. However, the artworks of 6 of the 14 artists with schizophrenia possess image properties that deviate from the range of values obtained for the control artworks. For example, the artworks of four of the patients are characterized by a relative dominance of specific edge orientations in their images (low first-order entropy of edge orientations). Three patients created artworks with a relatively high ratio of fine detail to coarse structure (high slope of the Fourier spectrum). In conclusion, the present exploratory study opens novel perspectives for the objective scientific investigation of visual artworks that were created by persons who suffer from schizophrenia.
A New Aerosol Flow System for Photochemical and Thermal Studies of Tropospheric Aerosols

For studying the formation and photochemical/thermal reactions of aerosols relevant to the troposphere, a unique, high-volume, slow-flow, stainless steel aerosol flow system equipped with UV lamps has been constructed and characterized experimentally. The total flow system length is 8.5 m and includes a 1.2 m section used for mixing, a 6.1 m reaction section and a 1.2 m transition cone at the end. The 45.7 cm diameter results in a smaller surface to volume ratio than is found in many other flow systems and thus reduces the potential contribution from wall reactions. The latter are also reduced by frequent cleaning of the flow tube walls which is made feasible by the ease of disassembly. The flow tube is equipped with ultraviolet lamps for photolysis. This flow system allows continuous sampling under stable conditions, thus increasing the amount of sample available for analysis and permitting a wide variety of analytical techniques to be applied simultaneously. The residence time is of the order of an hour, and sampling ports located along the length of the flow tube allow for time-resolved measurements of aerosol and gas-phase products. The system was characterized using both an “inert” gas (CO 2 ) and particles (atomized NaNO 3 ). Instruments interfaced directly to this flow system include a NO x analyzer, an ozone analyzer, relative humidity and temperature probes, a scanning mobility particle sizer spectrometer, an aerodynamic particle sizer spectrometer, a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, an integrating nephelometer, and a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer equipped with a long path (64 m) cell. Particles collected with impactors and filters at the various sampling ports can be analyzed subsequently by a variety of techniques. Formation of secondary organic aerosol from α-pinene reactions (NO x photooxidation and ozonolysis) are used to demonstrate the capabilities of this new system.