Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Value of labeling credence attributes-common structures and individual preferences

This article analyzes the common preference structure underlying purchase intentions for food products labeled with credence attributes. In three consecutive, hypothetical discrete choice experiments, consumers selected pork, eggs, and pasta containing egg based on the attributes organic, local, animal welfare, certified “free of antibiotics,” and price. The data were analyzed using structural choice modeling, a factor‐analytic approach modeling latent sources of preference heterogeneity. The results of this analysis show that preference heterogeneity is stable across products and can be explained best by common characteristics in credence attributes. The article gives guidance as to how to use factors in the analysis of multiple discrete choice experiments.
TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCE WITH USING TEACHING TECHNIQUES TO PROMOTE CHILDREN’S MOTIVATION AND ENGAGEMENT IN A NON-FORMAL ENGLISH EDUCATIONAL SETTING

In this increasing globalized and internationalized world, teaching techniques reported to be effective in one country are more frequently adopted for use in other countries. However, these techniques may not yield similar effects across educational contexts. This article reports a study that (i) explored teaching techniques that teachers in commercial English Language Centres (CELC) in Southern Vietnam used to promote children’s learning motivation and engagement, (ii) examined why they adopted these teaching techniques and (iii) identified challenges associated with the use of these techniques. Content analysis of 21 semi-structured interviews with teachers from four CELC showed that teachers were frequently using games, picture flashcards, videos, miming, role play and storytelling for the mentioned purpose. The study also revealed several challenges for the use of these techniques associated with (i) teachers considering teaching in CELC as an extra job, (ii) educational norms and values ingrained in stakeholders’ perception, and (iii) practicality issues involved in their teaching. The article highlights that teachers’ adoption of a teaching technique was driven by their beliefs about its effectiveness, about expectations of important stakeholders, and about contextual factors that may affect the use of the technique. Article visualizations:
Endovascular treatment vs. intravenous thrombolysis alone for ischaemic stroke: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

AIMS Our aim was to assess the effects on clinical outcomes of endovascular treatment vs. thrombolysis alone in patients with ischaemic stroke. METHODS AND RESULTS PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for randomised trials comparing endovascular treatment vs. intravenous thrombolysis alone in acute ischaemic stroke. Data were pooled by meta-analysis using a fixed-effects or a random-effects model, as appropriate. Eight studies enrolling 2,423 participants were included. Compared with thrombolysis alone, endovascular treatment was associated with higher rates of 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores of 0-2 (42.4% vs. 31.8%, odds ratio [OR] 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-2.49, p=0.005, number needed to treat to benefit [NNTB]=8), and of recanalisation at 24-30 hours (76.9% vs. 39.6%, OR 4.49, 95% CI: 2.41-8.38, p<0.001, NNTB=2.9), with similar risk of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (5.4% vs. 4.9%, OR 1.08, 95% CI: 0.75-1.56, p=0.67) and all-cause death (15.3% vs. 16.6%, OR 0.86, 95% CI: 0.69-1.07, p=0.18). In subgroup analysis the benefits of endovascular treatment were restricted to studies where stent retriever systems were routinely employed. CONCLUSIONS In patients with acute ischaemic stroke, endovascular treatment is a safe and more effective strategy than intravenous thrombolysis alone.
Properties of Overlap and Domain Wall Fermions in the 2+1D Thirring Model

We present some results pertaining to partially quenched formulations of the overlap/domain wall operator with the Thirring model in 2+1D. Auxiliary fields are generated with a Shamir domain wall approach and measurements of eigenvalues and condensates are contrasted with different overlap operators. The numerical challenge posed by a non-compact formulation is highlighted, and the effective use of lower accuracy sea fermions is demonstrated.
GLOBAL POPULATION STRUCTURE AND NATURAL HISTORY OF THE GREEN TURTLE (CHELONIA MYDAS) IN TERMS OF MATRIARCHAL PHYLOGENY

To address aspects of the evolution and natural history of green turtles, we assayed mitochondrial (mt) DNA genotypes from 226 specimens representing 15 major rookeries around the world. Phylogenetic analyses of these data revealed (1) a comparatively low level of mtDNA variability and a slow mtDNA evolutionary rate (relative to estimates for many other vertebrates); (2) a fundamental phylogenetic split distinguishing all green turtles in the Atlantic‐Mediterranean from those in the Indian‐Pacific Oceans; (3) no evidence for matrilineal distinctiveness of a commonly recognized taxonomic form in the East Pacific (the black turtle C.m. agassizi or C. agassizi); (4) in opposition to published hypotheses, a recent origin for the Ascension Island rookery, and its close genetic relationship to a geographically proximate rookery in Brazil; and (5) a geographic population substructure within each ocean basin (typically involving fixed or nearly fixed genotypic differences between nesting populations) that suggests a strong propensity for natal homing by females. Overall, the global matriarchal phylogeny of Chelonia mydas appears to have been shaped by both geography (ocean basin separations) and behavior (natal homing on regional or rookery‐specific scales). The shallow evolutionary population structure within ocean basins likely results from demographic turnover (extinction and colonization) of rookeries over time frames that are short by evolutionary standards but long by ecological standards.
Can Categorical and Dimensional Views of Psychiatric Illness be Distinguished?

Bimodality in a distribution of symptoms is often claimed to be convincing evidence that a disorder is categorical, a discrete disease entity, rather than the extreme on a continuous dimension. However, using concepts from contemporary psychometric theory it is shown that bimodality can arise from the dimensional viewpoint. In fact, contrary to the usual belief, bimodality would be expected to occur in many research contexts if the dimensional alternative were correct.
A Power Efficient Masking Technique for Design of Robust Embedded Systems against SEUs and SETs

In this paper, an SET and SEU tolerant latch suitable for use in embedded systems called SETUR (single event transient and upset robust latch) is presented and evaluated. The SETUR is based on the use of a redundant feedback line and a CMOS delay element to tolerate the effect of the SETs occurring in the input line of the latch as well as SEUs occurring inside the latch. The experimental results show that the probability of an SET resulting in a soft error can be reduced up to 90% by choosing a proper delay value. The soft error rate of the SETUR due to SEUs occurring inside the latch is reduced by 95% while having lower area, power and performance overhead than the previously proposed latches.
Outcomes of a home telehealth intervention for patients with heart failure

We evaluated the efficacy of two telehealth applications, delivered by telephone and videophone, for improving outcomes of patients following hospital discharge for an acute exacerbation of heart failure. The outcomes measured were patient self-efficacy, satisfaction with care and knowledge of and compliance with prescribed medications. At hospital discharge, patients were randomly assigned to either control (usual care), telephone or videophone groups. Study nurses contacted the intervention patients each week for 90 days after discharge. A total of 148 patients were enrolled: 49 were randomized to usual care, 52 to the videophone intervention and 47 to the telephone intervention. At 90 days, 126 patients (85%) had completed follow-up; at 180 days, 109 patients (74%) had completed follow-up. There were no significant differences between the groups in medication compliance, self-efficacy or satisfaction with care. The intervention group patients were more likely to have had their medications adjusted during the 90-day intervention period. Knowledge scores improved in the intervention group patients, although these scores were lower at enrolment compared to the control group. It is possible that routine monitoring of symptoms by the study nurses led to medication adjustments and accounted for the intervention patients' significantly delayed time to readmission relative to the control patients.
An Extraction of Infrared Occluded-Object Based on Maximum Variance and Negative Selection

Object extraction is an aspect of image segmentation. When the edge is clear, the object will be easily extracted, while the edge is fuzzy, the extraction will become hard. As an important method of the immune recognition, negative selection algorithm is a simulation of the immune cellspsila maturation, and its detection mechanism is especially suitable for the extraction of a specific target in the image. Based on the infrared image features and the maximum variance of the temperature threshold function method, this paper puts forward new detector-generation rules and creates an immune negative selection algorithm suitable to the image object detection. It receives a relatively ideal detective result, applying the algorithm to the extraction of a infrared occluded-object.
In Vivo Analysis of Heterogeneous Brain Deformation Computations for Model-Updated Image Guidance

Abstract Neurosurgical image-guidance has historically relied on the registration of the patient and preoperative imaging series with surgical instruments in the operating room (OR) coordinate space. Recent studies measuring intraoperative tissue motion have suggested that deformation-induced misregistration from surgical loading is a serious concern with such systems. In an effort to improve registration fidelity during surgery, we are pursuing an approach which uses a predictive computational model in conjunction with data available in the OR to update the high resolution preoperative image series. In previous work. we have developed an in vivo experimental system in the porcine brain which has been used to investigate a homogeneous finite element rendering of consolidation theory as a tissue deformation model. In this paper, our computational approach has been extended to include heterogeneous tissue property distributions determined from an image-to-grid segmentation scheme. Results produced under two different loading conditions show that heterogeneity in the stiffness properties and interstitial pressure gradients varied over a range of physiologically reasonable values account for 1-3% and 5-8% of the predicted tissue motion, respectively, while homogeneous linear elasticity is responsible for 60-70% of the surgically-induced motion that has been recoverable with our model-based @approach.
A High-Throughput Screen to Identify LRRK2 Kinase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease Using RapidFire Mass Spectrometry

LRRK2 is a large multidomain protein containing two functional enzymatic domains: a GTPase domain and a protein kinase domain. Dominant coding mutations in the LRRK2 protein are associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Among such pathogenic mutations, Gly2019Ser mutation in the LRRK2 kinase domain is the most frequent cause of familial PD in Caucasians and is also found in some apparently sporadic PD cases. This mutation results in 2- to 3-fold elevated LRRK2 kinase activity compared with wild type, providing a clear clinical hypothesis for the application of kinase inhibitors in the treatment of this disease. To date, reported screening assays for LRRK2 have been based on detection of labeled adenosine triphosphate and adenosine diphosphate or on antibody-based detection of phosphorylation events. While these assays do offer a high-throughput method of monitoring LRRK2 kinase activity, they are prone to interference from autofluorescent compounds and nonspecific events. Here we describe a label-free assay for LRRK2 kinase activity using the RapidFire mass spectrometry system. This assay format was found to be highly robust and enabled a screen of 100,000 lead-like small molecules. The assay successfully identified a number of known LRRK2 chemotypes that met stringent physicochemical criteria.
Modelled impact of insecticide-contaminated dung on the abundance and distribution of dung fauna

Abstract Deterministic models assessed the effects that contaminated dung from insecticide-treated cattle had on populations of three hypothetical species of dung fauna that dispersed randomly and could double their numbers every 1–28 weeks at low density. Insecticide was allowed to kill 2–98 % of adults and prevent 16–100% of breeding in pats produced immediately after cattle treatment, with toxicity declining to < 1% in pats produced 2–23 days later. Treatment intervals were 10–40 days. The modelled impact of insecticide was affected little by approximately four-fold variations in: length and density dependence of the attractive life span of pats, frequency of pat occupation by immature adults, distribution of pat toxicity during treatment interval, and changes in dispersal rates due to age and population density. Of greater importance were variations in: pat toxicity, treatment interval, frequency of pat occupation by breeding adults, density dependence of recruitment and death, natural adversity and mortality in dormancy, general rate of dispersal, and the size and shape of the area with treated cattle. Overall, it seemed that wide variations in the impact of contamination will occur in the field, but in many situations the risk to dung fauna can be substantial, especially for slow breeding beetles, and muscoids contacting insecticide on cattle. Risk extends outside the treated areas, for a distance equal to several daily displacements of the insects. Untreated refuges for species survival should be compact blocks at least 25 daily displacements wide.
The role of path-dependence in the resilience of EU regions

ABSTRACT The paper studies the role of path-dependence in the resilience of EU regions. Particularly, employing a nonparametric analysis, the paper demonstrates that historical adjustments of EU regions materialized by productivity improvements, primarily in the manufacturing sector and incidentally in the sectors of construction, financial and non-market services, during the period 1995–2008 secured high(er) levels of regional resilience during the economic crisis period 2008–2013. Such a finding provides implications not only for theory but also for policy. Policies aiming at boosting regional productivity and competitiveness, which through a positive regional performance of high growth rates is concealed, a well-structured and robust production restructuring, might affect regional resilience in a way that shields regional economies not only from current imbalances but also from any future downturns.
Analyzing source code for automated design pattern recommendation

Mastery of the subtleties of object-oriented programming lan- guages is undoubtedly challenging to achieve. Design patterns have been proposed some decades ago in order to support soft- ware designers and developers in overcoming recurring challeng- es in the design of object-oriented software systems. However, given that dozens if not hundreds of patterns have emerged so far, it can be assumed that their mastery has become a serious chal- lenge in its own right. In this paper, we describe a proof of con- cept implementation of a recommendation system that aims to detect opportunities for the Strategy design pattern that developers have missed so far. For this purpose, we have formalized natural language pattern guidelines from the literature and quantified them for static code analysis with data mined from a significant collection of open source systems. Moreover, we present the re- sults from analyzing 25 different open source systems with this prototype as it discovered more than 200 candidates for imple- menting the Strategy pattern and the encouraging results of a pre- liminary evaluation with experienced developers. Finally, we sketch how we are currently extending this work to other patterns.
AFLP Analysis of Arabidopsis Thaliana Treated by Low-Energy Ion Beam

The mutagenic effects of ion implantation on arabidopsis thaliana were analyzed using an amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting. The mutagenic effect of the C+ ion was on top of that of N+ at the same fluence. Sequence analysis of variant DNA fragments indicated that the transformation of bases appeared to be the dominant type of mutations induced by ion implantation. Molecular positional effect on mutagenesis arising from ion implantation was observed. The sequence composition of purine and pyrimidine bases flanking the mutation site had a major impact on the determination of transformation types. The mutations in a functional gene induced by the ion implantation were analyzed via molecular cloning and sequencing of mutant fragments by the AFLP
Large scale replication and meta-analysis of variants on chromosome 4q25 associated with atrial fibrillation.

AIMS A recent genome-wide association study identified a haplotype block on chromosome 4q25 associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). We sought to replicate this association in four independent cohorts. METHODS AND RESULTS The Framingham Heart Study and Rotterdam Study are community-based longitudinal studies. The Vanderbilt AF Registry and German AF Network (AFNet) are case-control studies. Participants with AF (n = 3508) were more likely to be male and were older than referent participants (n = 12 173; Framingham 82 +/- 10 vs. 71 +/- 13 years; Rotterdam 73 +/- 8 vs. 69 +/- 9 years; Vanderbilt 54 +/- 14 vs. 57 +/- 14 years; AFNet 62 +/- 12 vs. 49 +/- 14 years). Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2200733 was associated with AF in all four cohorts, with odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 1.37 in Rotterdam [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18-1.59; P = 3.1 x 10(-5)] to 2.52 in AFNet (95% CI 2.22-2.8; P = 1.8 x 10(-49)). There also was a significant association between AF and rs10033464 in Framingham (OR 1.34; 95% CI 1.03-1.75; P = 0.031) and AFNet (OR 1.30; 95% CI 1.13-1.51; P = 0.0002), but not Vanderbilt (OR 1.16; 95% CI 0.86-1.56; P = 0.33). A meta-analysis of the current and prior AF studies revealed an OR of 1.90 (95% CI 1.60-2.26; P = 3.3 x 10(-13)) for rs2200733 and of 1.36 (95% CI 1.26-1.47; P = 6.7 x 10(-15)) for rs10033464. CONCLUSION The non-coding SNPs rs2200733 and rs10033464 are strongly associated with AF in four cohorts of European descent. These results confirm the significant relations between AF and intergenic variants on chromosome 4.
How Do External Interdependencies Work? The Example of Geopolitics and Democracy in Poland

There is no alternative to the development of external interdependencies in the era of globalization. An alternative was even less conceivable when Poland switched from Communism to Western-style capitalism in the course of political transformation that began in 1989. Globalization projects may differ in terms of their institutional and ideological context, but they share common foundations, namely the objectively increasing interdependencies caused by the scientific and technical revolution; particularly apparent in the field of information and communication technologies, the growing openness of economic markets, soaring social expectations of mobility – especially the mobility of human resources – as well as the readiness to coexist with fellow humans that represent diverse cultures. Even in conditions of partial de-globalization – resulting from the protectionist economic policy of governments like the Trump administration – nobody really regards the idea of reversing the globalization trend as realistic or rational. Only those who hoped that globalization – albeit exclusively neoliberal! – would imminently diminish the importance of the nation-state are bitterly disappointed, given that the process merely redefined our understanding of the latter notion.
Pathways for Knowledge Exchange in SMEs in Software‐Driven Knowledge‐Intensive Business Services

This paper presents pathways for knowledge exchange as regards innovation in R&amp;D&#8208;active SMEs in software&#8208;driven knowledge&#8208;intensive business services in a capital city environment. A semistructured qualitative analysis focusing at social capital enablers for knowledge exchange reveals that interpersonal social proximity is the primary driver for knowledge exchange. Structural enablers for knowledge exchange include accessibility for clients, geographical proximity to research partners, temporary places for formal and informal meetings, specialization and diversification in terms of human resources skills, and informal interpersonal networks. Market and government&#8208;related goals, access to public funding and possibilities for lobbying, as well as openness to a multicultural environment, are all underlying cognitive factors. Relational social capital dimensions include organized trust in terms of neutral ground, goodwill trust&#8208;based interpersonal weak ties, and mutually embedded businesses and processes with institutions.
G-RDEM: A GTAP-Based Recursive Dynamic CGE Model for Long-Term Baseline Generation and Analysis

We motivate and detail the new GTAP-based recursive dynamic economic model (G-RDEM), a computable general equilibrium tool for long-term counterfactual analysis and baseline generation from given gross domestic product (GDP) and population projections. It encompasses an implicitly directly additive demand system (AIDADS) demand system with non-linear Engel curves, debt accumulation from foreign saving and introduces sector specific productivity changes, endogenous aggregate saving rates, as well as time-varying cost shares for value added and individual intermediates. Parameters for these relationships are econometrically estimated or taken from published work. The core of the model is derived from the Global Trade Anaylsis Project (GTAP) standard model and seamlessly incorporated into the modular and flexible CGEBox modelling platform, allowing for combined applications with various other extensions, such as GTAP-agro-ecological zones (AEZ) or GTAP-Water. G-RDEM maintains the flexible aggregation from the GTAP Data Base. It is open source, encoded in General Algebraic Modelling System (GAMS) and can be steered by a Graphical User Interface, which also encompasses a tool to analyse results with tables, graphs and maps. Existing GDP and population projections from the Socio-Economic Pathways (SSP) 1-5 can be directly incorporated for baseline construction. A comparison of the generated long-term structural composition of the economy against a simple recursive-dynamic variant, derived from the standard GTAP model, shows that G-RDEM brings about much more plausible results, as well as a more realistic, internally consistent representation of the economic structure in a hypothetical future.