Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Support for ‘normalization’ of relations between Palestinians and Israelis, and how it relates to contact and resistance in the West Bank

Since the launching of the Oslo peace process in 1993, the term ‘normalization’ has been used to characterize policies that aim to recognize the state of Israel and to establish ‘normal’ relations between Israelis and Palestinians. Whereas the Palestinian Authority has been supportive of normalization policies, numerous domestic and international critics have argued that these policies serve to perpetuate occupation and its consequences. We examine how Palestinians understand normalization, to what degree they support various forms of ‘normalizing’ relations with Israelis, and how contact with Israelis relates to support for normalization and motivation for revolutionary resistance against the occupation. Based on a cross-sectional survey conducted among an adult sample (N = 159) in the West Bank in 2016, we show that the understanding of normalization was multi-faceted, and that support for contact and collaboration across group lines (i.e., with Israelis) depended on the type of intergroup relations. On average, respondents were more supportive of relations within the political sphere, e.g. civilian policies and diplomatic coordination, than of interpersonal contact, cultural cooperation or security coordination. Support for most types of intergroup relations was related to decreased motivation for revolutionary resistance. In line with research on ‘sedative’ effects of positive intergroup contact in historically unequal societies, we found that past positive contact with Israelis was linked to decrease in Palestinians’ motivation for revolutionary resistance through increased support for interpersonal contact and security coordination as forms of normalization.
Factors affecting farm management adaptation strategies to climate change: The case of western Lake Tana and upper Beles watersheds, North West Ethiopia

Abstract Ethiopia is vulnerable to climate change and variability. This research investigates the factors that affect farm management adaptation strategies to climate change in west of Lake Tana and Beles river watersheds of Northwest Ethiopia. A survey was conducted collecting data from 338 households through a semi-structured interview schedule. To analyze the data, the multivariate probit model was used. The results indicated that market distance, frequency of extension services and oxen ownership have highly influenced the choice of crop management adaptation strategies to climate change. The likelihood of adopting short- mature crops, high yielding crop variety, and crop compost preparation was relatively higher (95%) as compared to the probability of adopting other strategies. The joint probabilities of success of the adaptation of the crop management adaptation strategies were 15%. Hence, households are more likely to jointly adopt the crop management climate change strategies. Similarly, age of household head, market distance, and oxen ownership were important characteristics affecting the farmers’ choice of animal management as climate change adaptation strategy. The likelihood of adopting hay preparation (89.4%), cut and carry system (77.4%), herd size determination (69.6%) and rotational grazing (67%) were also relatively higher as compared to other strategies. The joint probabilities of adaptation of animal management as climate change adaptation strategy was more likely to be applicable if adoption of the technologies (16.8%) were made jointly compared to their failure to jointly adopt them. Therefore, promoting complementary farm management adaptation practices and considering the socioeconomic factors are crucial to mitigate climate change vulnerability in the study area.
Overreaction in Trading: Evidence from the intraday trading of SPDRs during the 2008 Financial Crisis

Using intraday trading data during the 2008 financial crisis, from the Standard and Poor’s Depository Receipt (SPDR) market, we test for evidence of the informational advantage of traders. In addition, we examine the effect of pricing error on trade price. If traders are rational, and have accurate information, they will only purchase an asset at a premium (discount) if they have reason to believe that the fundamental value of that asset will increase (decrease). Our results show that the trading price of the SPDR does not significantly predict the movement of underlying asset values. This finding is consistent with traders overreacting to disparities between price and underlying value during the financial crisis.
biclustermd: An R Package for Biclustering with Missing Values

Biclustering is a statistical learning technique that attempts to ﬁnd homogeneous partitions of rows and columns of a data matrix. For example, movie ratings might be biclustered to group both raters and movies. biclust is a current R package allowing users to implement a variety of biclustering algorithms. However, its algorithms do not allow the data matrix to have missing values. We provide a new R package, biclustermd , which allows users to perform biclustering on numeric data even in the presence of missing values.
Anatomy of a Severe Dust Storm in the Middle East: Impacts on Aerosol Optical Properties and Radiation Budget

Particulate matter levels in large urban environments of the Middle East are affected by both anthropogenic and natural sources including frequent dust events which result in considerably enhanced aerosol concentrations with significant human health concerns. In this work, an integrated analysis is conducted of one of the most severe dust storms of the last 20 years in the Middle East. Using WRF-Chem simulations along with satellite data, particulate matter surface measurements and AERONET observations, we study the impact of this event on optical properties and surface radiation. At the peak of the dust storm in Doha, Qatar, both the surface data and the model predictions showed PM10 concentrations in excess of 7,000 μg m–3. A 2-week simulation over the whole peninsula revealed the extent of the event and showed that the model was able to capture the temporal and spatial evolution of the dust storm and the associated variations in aerosol optical properties. The simulations and remotely sensed measurements showed good correlation for the aerosol optical depth parameter, which reached a value of 3.0 on 2 April 2015 in the region. In agreement with satellite-derived estimates, the model predicted a significant storm-induced reduction in the shortwave radiation (150 to 300 W m–2) reaching the eastern Arabian Peninsula, and the Gulf waters, and a considerable drop in the precipitable water (by a factor of 6) between 01 and 03 of April 2015. The domain-integrated maximum daily dust deposition rate that the model predicted was 27.5 Tg day–1 mostly over the eastern part of Arabian Peninsula. The performance of the model is encouraging for further use in operational forecasting of dust storms in the region.
SCAMPER: IMPROVING CREATIVE IMAGINATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN

Young children are accepted to have creativity abilities. Creativity is a feature that needs to be improved. Many techniques are used to improve creativity. SCAMPER (substitute, combine, adjust, modify/magnify/minify, put to other uses, eliminate, reverse/rearrange) is one of the techniques used to improve creativity. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of SCAMPER in improving creative imagination of 5-year-old children attending kindergarten. For this purpose, 49 children from the age group of 5 year attending a kindergarten in the Southwestern part of Turkey participated in the study. There were an experimental group and a control group in the study. SCAMPER technique was applied to the children in the experimental group. The control group continued to the normal education program. The data were collected by using Test of Creative Imagination (Child Form), which was developed by Aysun Gündoğan in 2019. At the end of the study, it was found that creative imagination levels of the children in the experimental group receiving education with SCAMPER technique increased. Differences among children receiving SCAMPER education were found in the fluency sub-dimension of creativity. The SCAMPER technique was effective in improving the creative imagination. Therefore, techniques and activities that enable the development of creative imagination should be applied to individuals from an early age.
Analysis of Pre-service Science and Classroom Teachers' Attitudes and Opinions Concerning Renewable Energy Sources in Terms of Various Variables

In today's societies, energy needs increases endless in time. The importance of renewable energy sources comes to the fore every day due to the inability of the non-renewable and non-eco-friendly energy sources, such as coal, oil and natural gas, which are frequently used to meet this need, as well as the environmental problems they cause. The need for teachers who are aware of the importance of renewable, eco-friendly energy sources and new generations to be trained by these teachers is increasing day by day. The aim of this research is to reveal the factors that affect the attitudes of pre-service science and classroom teachers towards renewable energy sources and their opinions about renewable energy sources. For this purpose, the “Convergent Parallel Method (Quantitative + Qualitative)”, one of the mixed methods, was selected for this study. The sample of the study consisted of a total 373 pre-service teachers, 192 (161 Girls, 31 Boys) pre-service science teachers from the first to fourth grades, and 181 pre-service classroom teachers (128 girls, 53 boys) from the first to fourth grades. According to the results obtained from the quantitative data of the research; gender, grade and family income variables did not create a significant difference in the attitudes of pre-service science teachers towards renewable energy sources. Regarding the pre-service classroom teachers, grade, family income and department variables did not create a significant difference in their attitudes towards renewable energy sources, whereas gender made a significant difference. Qualitative findings of the study revealed that both pre-service Science and Classroom Teachers do not have enough knowledge about renewable energy sources.
THE SHORT TERM EFFECT OF SWIMMING TRAINING LOAD ON SHOULDER ROTATIONAL RANGE OF MOTION, SHOULDER JOINT POSITION SENSE AND PECTORALIS

Background: Shoulder pain or injury is the most common issue facing elite competitive swimmers and the most frequent reason for missed or modified training. Literature suggests that highly repetitive upper limb loading leads to inappropriate adaptations within the shoulder complex. The most likely mal-adaptations to occur are; variations in shoulder rotational range of motion (ROM), reduction in joint position sense (JPS) and shortened pectoralis minor length (PML). This has yet to have been confirmed in experimental studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the short term effects of swimming training load upon internal and external rotation ROM, JPS and PML. Method: Sixteen elite swimmers training in the British Swimming World Class programme participated. Measures of internal and external ROM, JPS error score and PML were taken before and after a typical two hour swimming session. Results: Following swimming training shoulder external rotation ROM and PML reduced significantly (-3.4°, p=<0.001 & -0.7cm, p=<0.001 respectively), JPS error increased significantly (+2.0° error angle, p=<0.001). Internal rotation ROM demonstrated no significant change (-0.6°, p=0.53). Discussion: This study determined that elite level swimming training results in short term maladaptive changes in shoulder performance that could potentially predispose them to injury.
Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Fibromyalgia: Is there any evidence to support clinical practice?

Introduction: Whole Body Vibration (WBV) exercise has been widely applied in the clinical practice. Thus, the present review aims to provide an updated review of current literature on the effects and efficacy of WBV alone or combined with exercise in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Methods: The works were identified and selected from the PubMed, Cochrane-Central-Register-of-Controlled-Trials and Physiotherapy Evidence-Database (PEDro) databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case-control studies were selected without language restrictions. Articles including single or multiple WBV sessions have been identified. Results: Nine works were included in the review (1 case-control study and 8 RCTs). The average PEDRro score was 7.44 ± 0.95. The sample size varied from 20 to 46 participants, involving only women diagnosed with FM. The outcomes identified were pain, balance, quality of life, fatigue and disability. Only one study investigated FM-related inflammatory biomarkers. Conclusions: Although WBV treatment appears to be safe and feasible, there is limited evidence to support WBV application in clinical practice in patients with FM. Keywords: Vibration; Chronic disease; Systematic review
FACTORS AFFECTING THE ADOPTION OF JENIUS IN INDONESIA BASED ON THE UNIFIED THEORY OF ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY MODEL MODIFIED BY THE TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL CONCEPT

Abstract : Along with the increasingly sophisticated and modern variety of technologies, the use of the internet is also increasingly used in various aspects of life and one of them is from banking sector. Nevertheless, the user of banking service is still low compared with internet users itself and smartphone users even it has some features that beneficial for the users. Moreover, it’s also beneficial for the country. This research aims to analyze factors influencing behavioral intention towards adoption of Jenius in Indonesia. Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) Model is used. The data was gathered through an online survey and earned 400 valid respondents from generation Y who use Jenius for the past six months. All the data gathered has passed the validity and reliability tests. Furthermore, the research hypothesis was tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) on SmartPLS.The result shows Effort Expectancy (EE), Facilitating Conditions (FC), Performance Expectancy (PE), Self-Efficacy (SE), Security (SEC) and Social Influence (SI) have an effect of 47.4% on Hedonic Motivation (HM). Then the Hedonic Motivation (HM) variables, Effort Expectancy (EE), Facilitating Conditions (FC), Performance Expectancy (PE), Self-Efficacy (SE), Security (SEC) and Social Influence (SI) have an effect of 53.6% towards Behavioral Intention (BI). From the analysis, the company suggested to improve socialization and the marketing, improving services so that users can feel comfortable in using the application, maintain the best service to users and improving facilities for users so that they are more interested in adopting the services. Keywords: Banking, Indonesia, Jenius, UTAUT2
Electron trapping mechanism in a multi-level organic fet memory using lithium-ion-encapsulated fullerene as the floating gate

We report on the electron trapping mechanism in a multi-level organic field effect transistor (OFET) memory using Lithium-ion-encapsulated fullerene (Li+@C60) as the floating gate. Based on the estimation of trapped electron number per each Li+@C60 molecule when a programming voltage was applied, the active domain of the floating gate was determined to be the surface of the Li+@C60 domain. An analysis of the cyclic voltammetry indicated that each Li+@C60 molecule can trap electrons at the trapping energy level of -4.94 and -4.49 eV. The number of trapped electron was confirmed by the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis).
Project Description — Follow-Up Project Proposal

This is a follow-up grant proposal (renewal) to DFG project LU 1748/3-1 / VO 615/12-1 of the same title, of which approx. 75% (full-time equivalent) has been completed to date and whose funds are expected to be depleted at the end of March 2017 (Augsburg) and November 2016 (Bamberg), resp. The granted current support pays for one PhD student (Research Assistant) each at Augsburg (Dipl.-Inform. Ference Bujtor) and Bamberg (Dipl.-Math. Sascha Fendrich). This section reports on what we have achieved so far and reviews some new related work that is relevant for the follow-up research proposed here.
A Scaled-Correlation based approach for generating and analyzing functional networks from EEG signals

EEG measurements are a valuable resource for analyzing the neuronal functional connectivity associated with diﬀerent cognitive tasks. By applying diﬀerent correlation metrics on the processed EEG signal, we aim to deﬁne neuronal functional networks (represented as graphs) which are built upon neuronal events and their inter-dependencies. Applying various graph metrics we aim to identify functional patterns that characterize the related cognitive task. Our methods use EEG signals collected in an experiment involving a controlled visual recognition task
Dynamic Nexus between Government Revenues and Expenditures in Nigeria: Evidence from Asymmetric Causality and Cointegration Methods

The incessant fiscal deficit being experienced in different countries across the world has raised concerns about the ability of government to properly manage its revenues and expenditures. This has necessitated a flurry of studies on the relationship between government revenues and government expenditures over time. However, empirical evidence appears to be mixed, even within a country, depending on the methodological approaches adopted by each researcher. In the light of this, this study examines the asymmetric causality and cointegration between revenues and expenditures using aggregated and disaggregated data. The results of linear causality tests of Granger (1969) and Toda-Yamamoto (1995) support fiscal synchronisation hypothesis while those of nonlinear causality test of Diks and Panchenko (2006) support revenue-spending hypothesis. The results further show the existence of asymmetric cointegration between revenues and expenditures in the short-run and the long-run. The final results obtained from the decomposition of revenues into the positive and negative components show that positive change in revenues has a positive effect on expenditures and vice versa for a negative change in revenues. Based on these findings, the panacea proposed to over-reliance in revenues, particularly oil revenues as a determinant of government expenditures, is the proper management of oil revenues and other sources of revenues. The government would also need to diversify the economy so that more revenues could be available to it from other sources to finance its expenditures.
3D Washout Analysis of Bridge Superstructures Using the Explicit MPS Method

The Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011, inflicted serious damage on civil and architectural structures in northeastern Japan. The tsunami generated by the earthquake washed away the superstructures of road bridges. The damage caused by this disaster had a strong impact on the design of road bridges. Against this background, numerical simulation is expected to become an important tool to evaluate the tsunami force acting on bridge structures. This study aims to apply explicit moving particle simulation (E-MPS), which is one of the particle methods, to the three-dimensional (3D) simulation of fractures of a bridge superstructure. A dam break problem with a floating rigid body is solved by EMPS, and the results are compared with those obtained by the corresponding experimental approach to verify the developed E-MPS code. The tsunami run-up and simulation of a bridge being washed away are implemented by the EMPS, and their realistic visualization results are demonstrated by the help of marching cube method. 
Autonomous 3D Deployment of Aerial Base Stations in Wireless Networks with User Mobility

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have recently emerged as enablers for multitude use cases in 5G networks, one of which utilizes them as aerial base stations to intermittently serve mobile users in emergency situations or hard-to-reach areas. In this work, we address the problem of deploying multiple UAVs optimally in 3D space while autonomously adapting their positions as users move around within the network. We propose a novel approach with the objective of deploying the least number of UAVs to maintain target quality of service requirements. The problem of positioning UAVs in a 3D space is formulated as a mixed integer programming problem (MIP). To obtain an efficient solution, we propose and evaluate an autonomous positioning algorithm that can easily adapt as the users move within a specific area in the network. We present performance results for the algorithm as a function of various system parameters assuming a random walk mobility model. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm compared to the optimal solution and related work in the literature for various network scenarios with user mobility.
Can Patient Frailty Be Estimated from Inpatient Records? A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Frailty is a common condition in older people affecting around 1.8 million people in the UK and is independently associated with adverse outcomes. Frailty is commonly measured with the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) which involves a face to face assessment. There is evidence the CFS can be assigned retrospectively from information in patient records, but no research has assessed whether scores can be assigned using routine inpatient records. We aimed to assess whether a CFS could be accurately assigned using hospital inpatient records in a UK setting. Methods: Forty newly admitted patients aged 65 and over were prospectively recruited at Bradford Royal Infirmary. A CFS score was assigned to each patient using a face to face assessment. A CFS score was independently assigned to each patient solely using information in the inpatient records. A quadratically weighted Cohen’s Kappa was used to estimate inter-rater reliability (IRR) between the assessments. Results: A Kappa of 0.84 was estimated for the IRR between the scores derived from a face to face assessment and those based solely on inpatient records, indicating good agreement. The Kappa score fell to 0.7 when a 4 category collapsed version of the CFS was used. The IRR appeared unaffected by the number of times a patient had been admitted recently. Conclusion: The CSF may accurately be determined from data routinely recorded in inpatient records. Retrospectively derived scores can, therefore, be used in analysis of patient outcomes of older people in research and service improvement.
The relationship between organizational changes and job satisfaction in the Jordanian telecommunication industry

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between organizational change and job satisfaction in telecommunication companies in Jordan. A convenience sample was selected from among employees working at three communication companies (3636 employees) in Jordan. The findings indicate a significant positive relationship between organizational change and job satisfaction. to increase employees’ job satisfaction, their level of job stress during organization change operations in telecommunication companies must be decreased.