Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An empirical investigation of mobile service channel usage and mutual influence with internet service channel

Advances in information technology have increased the number of people using mobile device and have made mobile service pervasive. In spite of increase of rapid diffusion and usage of mobile service, previous papers mainly focused on figuring out factors influencing the mobile technology adoption but understanding of customer behavior regarding the usage of mobile channel is lacking. Moreover, mobile service channel is one of alternative channels and customer choice of one service channel affects customer use of other channels. We investigate the relationship between service channels. Specifically, this paper empirically investigates the mutual influence between internet and mobile channels in banking service through VAR test using data of Korea online banking service. Our result shows that, as customer's use of mobile channel increases, it has influences on internet channel use, and vice versa. Customers using mobile banking service channel tend to use internet banking service as a complementary channel. On the contrary, the use of internet banking service does not have an influence on the use of mobile banking service channel. Additionally, the trait of this relationship depends on the characteristic of task. Also cross channel influence is differentiated by banking service task. This paper provides the understanding of customer behavior in multiple service channels and implication that strategic management of multi-channel has to be concerned in terms of relationship between service channels.
Creating Positive Learning Environments: Antecedent Strategies for Managing the Classroom Environment & Student Behavior

Teacher conceptualization of behavior problems is important in determining what strategies are used to prevent problematic classroom behavior. If teachers view a student’s behavior as symptomatic of a poorly organized classroom, they may seek ways of reorganizing the environment to maximize occasions for occurrence of appropriate behavior and the prevention of behavior problems. That is, teachers consider antecedent approaches and attempt to set the occasion for appropriate behavior to occur. This article will describe approaches for setting up antecedent classroom strategies designed to prevent problematic behavior and subsequently enhance classroom management plans.
FATCOP: A Fault Tolerant Condor-PVM Mixed Integer Programming Solver

We describe FATCOP, a new parallel mixed integer program solver written in PVM. The implementation uses the Condor resource management system to provide a virtual machine composed of otherwise idle computers. The solver diers from previous parallel branch-and-bound codes by implementing a general purpose parallel mixed integer programming algorithm in an opportunistic multiple processor environment, as opposed to a conventional dedicated environment. It shows how to make eectiv e use of resources as they become available while ensuring the program tolerates resource retreat. The solver performs well on test problems arising from real applications, and is particularly useful for solving long-running hard mixed integer programming problems.
CLASSIFYING SOFTWARE FOR REUSABILITY

Software reuse has been claimed to be one of the most promising approaches to enhance programmer productivity and software quality. One of the problems to be addresses to achieve high software reuse is organizing databases of software experience, in which information on software products and processes is stored and organized to enhance reuse. The Reuse Description Formalism (RDF) is a generalization of the faceted index approach to classification. It was initially designed as a tool to help increase reusability of software components at the code level (e.g. functions or subroutines). The goal of this dissertation is to show that RDF can also be used effectively to represent and reuse other types of software knowledge.
Individual Differences in Mindscapes and Attitudes: An Exploratory Cross-Cultural Study

In order to elicit correlates of Maruyama's (1992) mindscape types, 144 respondents from Germany, the Netherlands and the Republic of Georgia (70 men, 74 women, 48 from each country) were given TOB figures and mindscape pictures. Furthermore, their attitudes towards two technology items (high-speed trains and nuclear power) were registered. An optimal scaling procedure (OVERALS) was used for analyzing the cultural and gender-specific differences with regard to the mindscape types. Group differences in the high-tech attitudes were tested by means of Chi-square analyses. The meaning of the results is discussed from the viewpoints of hypothesis testing as contrasted to the construction of an open-ended taxonomy.
External Quality Assessment of Bone Metabolism Marker Assays. Initial Experiences in a UK NEQAS Programme

Abstract This paper reports on a pilot external quality assessment scheme for bone markers including serum bone alkaline phosphatase and procollagen 1-carboxy terminal propeptide together with urine deoxypyridinoline, N- and C-telopeptides. The data shows poor numerical agreement between commercial assays, between-laboratory imprecision that could be improved, and the need for international standardisation of assays.
Holmium Laser Enucleation versus Transurethral Resection in Patients with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia: An Updated Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis

Background Holmium laser enucleation (HoLEP) in surgical treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) potentially offers advantages over transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Methods Published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from PubMed, EMBASE, Science Citation Index, and the Cochrane Library up to October 10, 2013 (updated on February 5, 2014). After methodological quality assessment and data extraction, meta-analysis was performed using STATA 12.0 and Trial Sequential Analysis (TSA) 0.9 software. Results Fifteen studies including 8 RCTs involving 855 patients met the criteria. The results of meta-analysis showed that: a) efficacy indicators: there was no significant difference in quality of life between the two groups (P>0.05), but compared with the TURP group, Qmax was better at 3 months and 12 months, PVR was less at 6, 12 months, and IPSS was lower at 12 months in the HoLEP, b) safety indicators: compared with the TURP, HoLEP had less blood transfusion (RR 0.17, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.47), but there was no significant difference in early and late postoperative complications (P>0.05), and c) perioperative indicators: HoLEP was associated with longer operation time (WMD 14.19 min, 95% CI 6.30 to 22.08 min), shorter catheterization time (WMD −19.97 h, 95% CI −24.24 to −15.70 h) and hospital stay (WMD −25.25 h, 95% CI −29.81 to −20.68 h). Conclusions In conventional meta-analyses, there is no clinically relevant difference in early and late postoperative complications between the two techniques, but HoLEP is preferable due to advantage in the curative effect, less blood transfusion rate, shorter catheterization duration time and hospital stay. However, trial sequential analysis does not allow us to draw any solid conclusion in overall clinical benefit comparison between the two approaches. Further large, well-designed, multicentre/international RCTs with long-term data and the comparison between the two approaches remain open.
Bilingual education in an Aboriginal context: examining the transfer of language skills from Inuktitut to English or French

Abstract Bilingual education is thought to be one of the principal means of simultaneously revitalizing threatened language and preparing students for success in mainstream society. However, little research has examined, in a comprehensive and longitudinal fashion, bilingual programs in Aboriginal contexts. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to conduct a longitudinal analysis of the language skills of 110 Inuit students participating in an Inuktitut–English/French program in a remote Arctic community. Students’ skills in English or French improved from Grades 4–6, after a switch to second language instruction; whereas, their skills in Inuktitut showed no significant improvement across these grades. Baseline heritage language skills in Grade 3 were found to be predictive of later success in both the heritage and mainstream languages, providing evidence for cross-language transfer and pointing to the pivotal importance of heritage language instruction for Aboriginal students.
Is Alteration of Tuning Property in Cervical Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential Specific for Ménière’s Disease?

Objective The aim of this study is to show sensitivity and specificity of cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) tuning property test to Ménière’s disease (MD) in comparison with healthy controls (HC) and patients with other vestibular diseases. Subjects Totally 92 subjects (50 women and 42 men, 20–77 years of age) were enrolled in this study. Subjects were composed of 38 definite unilateral MD patients, 11 unilateral benign paroxysmal positional vertigo patients, 14 vestibular migraine patients, 19 unilateral vestibular neuritis patients, and 10 HC. Methods The subjects underwent cVEMP testing to 500 and 1,000 Hz short tone bursts (125 dBSPL). The corrected amplitudes of the first biphasic responses (p13–n23) (cVEMP) were measured. Then, a tuning property index (the 500–1,000 Hz cVEMP slope) was calculated. Results The area of under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.75 in comparison with other vestibular disease patients, while AUC was 0.77 in comparison with other vestibular disease patients plus HC. The best cutoff point of the 500–1,000 Hz cVEMP slope was −19.9. Sensitivity of the tuning property test to MD was 0.74, while specificity was 0.76 to other vestibular disease patients. Conclusion The tuning property test of cVEMP is useful as a screening test of MD.
KBS methodology as a framework for co-operative working

This paper describes the development of the Injection Moulding Process Expert System (IMPRESS). The IMPRESS system diagnoses faults in injection moulding machinery which lead to dirt or other contamination appearing in the plastic mouldings which are produced. This KBS has recently been put into use at Plastic Engineers (Scotland) Ltd, and is proving useful both as an expert assistant when technical help is otherwise unavailable, and as a training aid. The IMPRESS system was built by a member of Plastic Engineers' sta with assistance from a KBS consultant. It was decided that the project would be based around a KBS methodology; a `pragmatic' version of the KADS methodology was chosen. The methodology was used not only to formalise and guide the development of the KBS itself, but also to act as a framework for dividing the work between the two members of the project team. By gaining an understanding of the methodology, the sta member from Plastic Engineers was able to understand the knowledge analysis and KBS design documents produced by the consultant, and to use these documents to implement part of the KBS, both during the development of the system and when system maintenance was required. The use of a methodology for this project on this project had both bene ts and weaknesses, which are discussed at the end of the paper.
A novel sequential design strategy for global surrogate modeling

In mathematical/statistical modeling of complex systems, the locations of the data points are essential to the success of the algorithm. Sequential design methods are iterative algorithms that use data acquired from previous iterations to guide future sample selection. They are often used to improve an initial design such as a Latin hypercube or a simple grid, in order to focus on highly dynamic parts of the design space. In this paper, a comparison is made between different sequential design methods for global surrogate modeling on a real-world electronics problem. Existing exploitation and exploration-based methods are compared against a novel hybrid technique which incorporates both an exploitation criterion, using local linear approximations of the objective function, and an exploration criterion, using a Monte Carlo Voronoi tessellation. The test results indicate that a considerable improvement of the average model accuracy can be achieved by using this new approach.
Comparison of cognitive-behavioural therapy and psychodynamic therapy in the treatment of anxiety among university students: an effectiveness study

The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural (CBT) and psychodynamic (PDT) therapies in the treatment of anxiety among university students. To this aim, the Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) was completed by 30 students assigned to CBT and by 24 students assigned to PDT, both at the beginning and at the end of treatment. The main problem presented by all patients was anxiety. Except for one sub-scale, we observed significant differences in the scores of all sub-scales and scales of SQ, with lower scores at the end of the therapy, indicating lower distress, regardless of the type of treatment. The present findings suggest that both therapies are effective in the treatment of anxiety among university students.
Frailty Correlated Default

The probability of extreme default losses on portfolios of U.S. corporate debt is much greater than would be estimated under the standard assumption that default correlation arises only from exposure to observable risk factors. At the high confidence levels at which bank loan portfolio and collateralized debt obligation (CDO) default losses are typically measured for economic capital and rating purposes, conventionally based loss estimates are downward biased by a full order of magnitude on test portfolios. Our estimates are based on U.S. public nonfinancial firms between 1979 and 2004. We find strong evidence for the presence of common latent factors, even when controlling for observable factors that provide the most accurate available model of firm-by-firm default probabilities. Copyright (c) 2009 the American Finance Association.
Long‐Term Maintenance of Hematopoietic Stem Cells Does Not Require Contact with Embryo‐Derived Stromal Cells in Cocultures

We recently established that two midgestation‐derived stromal clones—UG26‐1B6, urogenital ridge–derived, and EL08‐1D2, embryonic liver–derived—support the maintenance of murine adult bone marrow and human cord blood hematopoietic repopulating stem cells (HSCs). In this study, we investigate whether direct HSC‐stroma contact is required for this stem cell maintenance. Adult bone marrow ckit+ Ly‐6C− side population (K6‐SP) cells and stromal cells were cocultured under contact or noncontact conditions. These experiments showed that HSCs were maintained for at least 4 weeks in culture and that direct contact between HSCs and stromal cells was not required. To find out which factors might be involved in HSC maintenance, we compared the gene expression profile of EL08‐1D2 and UG26‐1B6 with four HSC‐nonsupportive clones. We found that EL08‐1D2 and UG26‐1B6 both expressed 21 genes at a higher level, including the putative secreted factors fibroblast growth factor‐7, insulin‐like growth factor‐binding proteins 3 and 4, pleiotrophin, pentaxin‐related, and thrombospondin 2, whereas 11 genes, including GPX‐3 and HSP27, were expressed at a lower level. In summary, we show for the first time long‐term maintenance of adult bone marrow HSCs in stroma noncontact cultures and identify some secreted molecules that may be involved in this support.
The tumour-associated antigen L6 (L6-Ag) is recruited to the tetraspanin-enriched microdomains: implication for tumour cell motility

Tumour-associated antigen L6 (L6-Ag, also known as TM4SF1) regulates tumour cell motility and invasiveness. We found that L6-Ag is abundant on the plasma membrane and on intracellular vesicles, on which it is co-localised with the markers for late endosomal/lysosomal compartments, including Lamp1/Lamp2 proteins and LBPA. Antibody internalisation and live-imaging experiments suggested that L6-Ag is targeted to late endocytic organelles (LEO) predominantly via a biosynthetic pathway. Mapping experiments showed that the presence of transmembrane regions is sufficient for directing L6-Ag to LEO. On the plasma membrane, L6-Ag is associated with tetraspanin-enriched microdomains (TERM). All three predicted cytoplasmic regions of L6-Ag are crucial for the effective recruitment of the protein to TERM. Recruitment to TERM correlated with the pro-migratory activity of L6-Ag. Depletion of L6-Ag with siRNA has a selective effect on the surface expression of tetraspanins CD63 and CD82. By contrast, the expression levels of other tetraspanins and β1 integrins was not affected. We found that L6-Ag is ubiquitylated and that ubiquitylation is essential for its function in cell migration. These data suggest that L6-Ag influences cell motility via TERM by regulating the surface presentation and endocytosis of some of their components.
A new solar cell simulator: WxAMPS

A new solar cell simulation program, wxAMPS, is presented in this work. The interface of wxAMPS is developed using a cross-platform library, wxWidgets, and the kernel is based on an updated version of the AMPS (Analysis of Microelectronic and Photonic Structures) code. wxAMPS incorporates two different tunneling models for better simulation of specific types of solar cells. Compared to the drift-diffusion model, the intra-band tunneling model provides more realistic characteristics for heterojunction solar cells. The other tunneling component is trap-assisted tunneling current, which plays an important role in tunneling recombination at junctions. To increase the convergence property of this model, a new algorithm that combines the Newton method and the Gummel method has been developed. The simulation results from different models are compared. A preliminary WIKI has also been set up, which provides a database of materials parameters for various kinds of solar cells to help the PV community share materials data and more easily implement simulations.
Sodium butyrate improved performance while modulating the cecal microbiota and regulating the expression of intestinal immune‐related genes of broiler chickens

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effect of sodium butyrate (SB) on performance, expression of immune‐related genes in the cecal tonsils, and cecal microbiota of broiler chickens when dietary energy and amino acids concentrations were reduced. Day‐old male Ross 708 broiler chicks were fed dietary treatments in a 3 × 2 factorial design (8 pens per treatment) with 3 dietary formulations (control diet; reduction of 2.3% of amino acids and 60 kcal/kg; and reduction of 4.6% of amino acids and 120 kcal/kg) with or without the inclusion of 0.1% of SB. Feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BW gain), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded until 28 d of age. From 14 to 28 d, there was an interaction of nutrient density by SB (P = 0.003) wherein BW gain of birds fed SB was impaired less by the energy/amino acids reduction than unsupplemented birds. A similar result was obtained from 1 to 28 d (P = 0.004). No interaction (P < 0.05) between nutrient density by SB was observed for FCR. Nutritional density of the diets and SB modified the structure, composition, and predicted function of the cecal microbiota. The nutritionally reduced diet altered the imputed function performed by the microbiota and the SB supplementation reduced these variations, keeping the microbial function similar to that observed in chickens fed a control diet. The frequency of bacterial species presenting the butyryl‐CoA: acetate CoA‐transferase gene increased in the microbiota of chickens fed a nutritionally reduced diet without SB supplementation, and was not changed by nutrient density of the diet when supplemented with SB (interaction; P = 0.01). SB modulated the expression of immune related genes in the cecal tonsils; wherein SB upregulated the expression of A20 in broilers fed control diets (P < 0.05) and increased IL‐6 expression (P < 0.05). These results show that SB had positive effects on the productive performance of broilers fed nutritionally reduced diets, partially by modulating the cecal microbiota and exerting immune‐modulatory effects.
Fall Detection for Elderly Persons Using Android-Based Platform

Since fall event has become the most common accident occurred among elderly persons, the development of fall detection system has received much attention in recent years. With the help of such a system, elderly persons can be delivered to a hospital to receive timely medical care. This study aims to implement a fall detection system by using an Android-based watch (the WIMM one) equipped with a tri-axial gravity accelerometer. Six young persons (3 males and 3 females) were invited to conduct the experiments. By simultaneously considering the detections for linear and non-linear movements, the proposed system achieves an accuracy of 92.5%, which is an improvement of 12% as compared to the previous scheme.
Interferon-γ Regulates the Proliferation and Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells via Activation of Indoleamine 2,3 Dioxygenase (IDO)

The kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan metabolism is linked to antimicrobial activity and modulation of immune responses but its role in stem cell biology is unknown. We show that human and mouse mesenchymal and neural stem cells (MSCs and NSCs) express the complete KP, including indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase 1 (IDO) and IDO2, that it is highly regulated by type I (IFN-β) and II interferons (IFN-γ), and that its transcriptional modulation depends on the type of interferon, cell type and species. IFN-γ inhibited proliferation and altered human and mouse MSC neural, adipocytic and osteocytic differentiation via the activation of IDO. A functional KP present in MSCs, NSCs and perhaps other stem cell types offers novel therapeutic opportunities for optimisation of stem cell proliferation and differentiation.
Nanocrystalline diamond surfaces for adhesion and growth of primary neurons, conflicting results and rational explanation

Using a variety of proliferating cell types, it was shown that the surface of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) provides a permissive substrate for cell adhesion and development without the need of complex chemical functionalization prior to cell seeding. In an extensive series of experiments we found that, unlike proliferating cells, post-mitotic primary neurons do not adhere to bare NCD surfaces when cultured in defined medium. These observations raise questions on the potential use of bare NCD as an interfacing layer for neuronal devices. Nevertheless, we also found that classical chemical functionalization methods render the “hostile” bare NCD surfaces with adhesive properties that match those of classically functionalized substrates used extensively in biomedical research and applications. Based on the results, we propose a mechanism that accounts for the conflicting results; which on one hand claim that un-functionalized NCD provides a permissive substrate for cell adhesion and growth, while other reports demonstrate the opposite.
An Analysis of AIMD Algorithm with Decreasing Increases

In this paper, we introduce a new class of AIMD algorithms in which the size of the additive increases will decrease as the sending rate of the algorithm increases. We call these algorithms decreasing AIMD algorithms or DAIMD algorithms. We show that DAIMD algorithms are efficient, stable and fair. A special case of a DAIMD algorithm is provided by the UDT algorithm, which has been used for a variety of grid-based data intensive applications. UDT satisfies max-min fairness if all concurrent flows have the same bottleneck capacities; otherwise, the unfairness will be lower bounded. It can expand to use from 0 to 90% of available bandwidth in a given fixed time interval. We use both simulations and experiments to examine these characteristics