Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Rise and Impact of Muslim Women Preaching Online

Female Muslim preachers are on the rise online, including in some conservative Islamic traditions such as the Salafi movement. The prevailing wisdom is that that religion are the key factor explaining the increase and impact of women’s preaching. In this view, religious ideas about gender segregation create a need for female preachers who preach about so-called “women’s issues” to exclusively female audiences. This chapter argues instead for a social movement logic: female preachers help Islamic social movements reach new audiences of both women and men. In this view, religious ideas prohibiting gender mixing are not the cause of women’s preaching, but rather a normative constraint that female preachers circumvent by preaching online. Data from a large Islamic website show that female preachers are reaching mixed gender audiences and eliciting positive reactions, especially from men, supporting the social movement logic.
OpenDwarfs: On the Characterization of Computation and Communication Patterns on Fixed and Reconfigurable Architectures

The proliferation of heterogeneous computing platforms presents the parallel computing community with new challenges. One such challenge entails evaluating the efficacy of such parallel architectures and identifying the architectural innovations that ultimately benefit applications. To address this challenge, we need benchmarks that capture the execution patterns (i.e., dwarfs or motifs) of applications, both present and future, in order to guide future hardware design. Furthermore, we desire a common programming model for the benchmarks that facilitates code portability across a wide variety of different processors (e.g., CPU, APU, GPU, FPGA, DSP) and computing environments (e.g., embedded, mobile, desktop, server). As such, we present the latest release of OpenDwarfs, a benchmark suite that currently realizes the Berkeley dwarfs in OpenCL, a vendor-agnostic and openstandard computing language for parallel computing. Using OpenDwarfs, we characterize a diverse set of modern fixed and reconfigurable parallel platforms: multicore CPUs, discrete and integrated GPUs, Intel Xeon Phi co-processor, as well as a FPGA. We describe the computation and communication patterns exposed by a representative set of dwarfs, obtain relevant profiling data and execution information, and draw conclusions that highlight the complex interplay between dwarfs’ patterns and the underlying hardware architecture of modern parallel platforms. Konstantinos Krommydas · Wu-chun Feng Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech E-mail: {kokrommy, wfeng}@vt.edu Christos D. Antonopoulos · Nikolaos Bellas Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly E-mail: {cda, nbellas}@uth.gr
Digital Emotion Regulation

People routinely regulate their emotions in order to function more effectively at work, to behave more appropriately in social situations, or simply to feel better. Recently, researchers have begun to examine how people shape their affective states using digital technologies, such as smartphones. In this article, we discuss the emergence of digital emotion regulation, both as a widespread behavioral phenomenon and a new cross-disciplinary field of research. This field bridges two largely distinct areas of enquiry: (a) psychological research into how and why people regulate their emotions, which has yet to systematically explore the role of digital technology, and (b) computing research into how digital technologies impact users’ emotions, which has yet to integrate psychological theories of emotion regulation. We argue that bringing these two areas into better contact will benefit both and will facilitate a deeper understanding of the nature and significance of digital emotion regulation.
Post-focal compression as a prosodic cue for focus perception in Hindi

Focus in Hindi is prosodically marked by means of post-focal compression (PFC) and the present study examines whether PFC is a prosodic cue that is functionally used by listeners to perceive the focus. In a production study with 30 native Hindi speakers uttering six different ambiguous contrastive ellipsis structures PFC occurred after the focused indirect object, thought not after a focused direct object. These structures served as input for a forced-choice sentence-completion experiment, in which 18 listeners listened to sentence fragments of the matrix clause and were asked to decide which of the two possible objects contrasts (direct object or indirect object) would correctly complete the sentence. Results show that if PFC was absent listeners were unable to choose the intended sentence completion. If PFC was present correct sentence completion judgements increased significantly. Thus PFC is a cue for focus perception in Hindi. Based on the functional load of the pitch register in Hindi, we argue that pitch register represents a further intonational category to consider, at least for languages like Hindi.
Teleoperation of an ankle-foot prosthesis with a wrist exoskeleton

Objective We aimed to develop a system for people with amputation that non-invasively restores missing control and sensory information for an ankle-foot prosthesis. Methods In our approach, a wrist exoskeleton allows people with amputation to control and receive feedback from their prosthetic ankle via teleoperation. We implemented two control schemes: position control with haptic feedback of ankle torque at the wrist; and torque control that allows the user to modify a baseline torque profile by moving their wrist against a virtual spring. We measured tracking error and frequency response for the ankle-foot prosthesis and the wrist exoskeleton. To demonstrate feasibility and evaluate system performance, we conducted an experiment in which one participant with a transtibial amputation tracked desired wrist trajectories during walking, while we measured wrist and ankle response. Results Benchtop testing demonstrated that for relevant walking frequencies, system error was below human perceptual error. During the walking experiment, the participant was able to voluntarily follow different wrist trajectories with an average RMS error of 1.55° after training. The ankle was also able to track desired trajectories below human perceptual error for both position control (RMSE = 0.8°) and torque control (RMSE = 8.4%). Conclusion We present a system that allows a user with amputation to control an ankle-foot prosthesis and receive feedback about its state using a wrist exoskeleton, with accuracy comparable to biological neuromotor control. Significance This bilateral teleoperation system enables novel prosthesis control and feedback strategies that could improve prosthesis control and aid motor learning.
PREVENTING CHRONIC DISEASE

Introduction Understanding the impact of behaviors on COVID-19 severity can improve health promotion strategies. We investigated the association between health-related behaviors and odds of hospitalization for COVID-19 in a cohort of military personnel. Methods This case-controlled study compared all active-duty US Air Force service members hospitalized for COVID-19 between March 5, 2020, and March 10, 2021 (cases), with their geographically matched peers who had COVID-19 and were treated as outpatients (controls). We used logistic regression to compare cases and controls according to self-reported sleep duration, physical activity, dietary factors, binge alcohol consumption, and tobacco use — with and without adjustment for sociodemographic factors, body mass index, physical fitness level, pertinent disease history, and psychological distress — resulting in crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs. The trend between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and hospitalization odds was assessed by using the Cochran-Armitage test. Results Ninety-three hospitalized cases were matched to 372 ambulatory controls. Adjusting for baseline characteristics and other healthrelated behaviors, cases were more likely than controls to report fewer than 7 hours of sleep, compared with 7 to 9 hours (OR = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.07–3.16), and were more likely than controls to consume 3 or more SSBs per week, compared with fewer than 3 SSBs (OR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.03–2.92). In a dose–response relationship, higher SSB consumption was associated with greater odds of being hospitalized (P value for trend = .02). Conclusion Interventions that address short sleep duration and SSB consumption may reduce morbidity from COVID-19 among military service members and potentially in the broader US population.
SINGLE-PIXEL CAMERA-SIMULATION TOOL AND THE FIRST RESULTS OF ANALYSIS OF IMAGE QUALITY

The present trend of signal processing maintains that according to the Nyquist–Shannon theory a signal must be sampled at a rate at least twice its highest frequency in order to be represented without error. However, it is very common to compress the data just after sensing. This approach is very popular in the field of image acquisition. We compress images registered by a camera trading off signal representation complexity. Thus some of the information is simply thrown away. Sparse signal approximations have become a new tool in signal processing with wide range of applications. Recently, many algorithms for signal reconstruction have been developed, however, all of them need many parameters to be properly set before using. Setting proper parameters is crucial for preparing a real model of the single pixel camera as well as for fast and efficient image synthesis. Because of high complexity of image recovery algorithms based on compressed sensing method, image synthesis process needs to be optimized. Simulation results include quality parameters values of MSE, PSNR and SSIM and image reconstruction time. Integrated test environment can be used during the process of hardware selection as well as during camera tests with real signals.
Affective State Prediction Based on Semi-Supervised Learning from Smartphone Touch Data

Gaining awareness of the user's affective states enables smartphones to support enriched interactions that are sensitive to the user's context. To accomplish this on smartphones, we propose a system that analyzes the user's text typing behavior using a semi-supervised deep learning pipeline for predicting affective states measured by valence, arousal, and dominance. Using a data collection study with 70 participants on text conversations designed to trigger different affective responses, we developed a variational auto-encoder to learn efficient feature embeddings of two-dimensional heat maps generated from touch data while participants engaged in these conversations. Using the learned embedding in a cross-validated analysis, our system predicted three levels (low, medium, high) of valence (AUC up to 0.84), arousal (AUC up to 0.82), and dominance (AUC up to 0.82). These results demonstrate the feasibility of our approach to accurately predict affective states based only on touch data.
Surface Electromyography Signals based Recognition of Finger Number Gesture using Convolutional Neural Network

This work deals with the application of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to recognition of finger number gestures using time series sEMG signals as input rather than visual images. It investigates CNN’s performance in recognition of sEMG based finger number gestures, which has been not studied in the literature. To the end, 252 sEMG signals as input data and 108 sEMG signals as test data were acquired from the 4 electrodes on a forearm muscle of a subject who is well-trained to make consistent performance of six Korean finger number from zero(0) to five(5) selected for this study. With the sEMG data of six Korean finger number gestures, CNN is set to have 100 steps of learning to recognize six Korean finger number gestures. This work will show recognition rate at each learning step to show CNN’s learning ability in the application to recognition of time-series based finger number gesture.
Growth Assays of Vibrio cholerae Membrane Transporter Mutants in Different pH and Cation Conditions

Vibrio cholerae achieves survival in various saline environments by a network of different Na+ dependent transporters, antiporters, and symporters. The most important transporters for sodium homeostasis are the sodium-translocating NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (VC-NQR) and the secondary sodium pumps Vc-NhaA and Vc-NhaB. It has been difficult to tease out the metabolic role of Vc-NQR as deletion of this dominant contributor to aerobic respiration causes distorting growth defects. By adding L-lactate, we were able to overcome the basic growth defect of a Vc-NQR mutant [1]. Here, we report the growth characteristics of various single and double mutants of V. cholerae lacking these transporters in regards to cation resistance in different pH environments, in presence and absence of L-lactate. Overall, Vc-NhaA appears to be instrumental for sodium transport at pH 7.5 and 8.5 and lithium at pH 7.5 in concert with Vc-NQR, and essential at lithium concentrations of 75 mM and higher at pH 8.5 independent of Vc-NQR. In addition, there is some evidence that Vc-NhaA is able to transport potassium at high pH and under high potassium pressure.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEAVY METALS IN CARICA PAPAYA (PAWPAW ) FRUIT AND SOIL IN SELECTED URBAN, RURAL AND FORESTLAND IN OWERRI, IMO STATE

1. Department of Environmental Management, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria. 2. Department of Environmental Management, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. 3. Department of Quantity Surveying, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. Manuscript Info Abstract . Manuscript History Received: 05 January 2020 Final Accepted: 07 February 2020 Published: March 2020
Calibration of a rockfall simulator with a fragmentation model in a real-scale test

In this contribution, we first present the tool RockGIS, which is a stochastic program for rockfall propagation simulation that takes fragmentation into account considering fractal laws. The results of real-scale field tests and several natural rockfall events inventoried have led to a formulation of a new fragmentation model which has been implemented into RockGIS code. The parameters of the power law that define the sizes of the generated fragments are computed at each impact according to the kinematic conditions. To calibrate the model, we used data from a real-scale rockfall test performed in a quarry. The sizes of the tested blocks were measured manually. Both the size and spatial distribution of the fragments after each release were measured from the orthophotos taken with systematic drone flights. Both rockfall block size distribution (RBSD) and runout distribution obtained after the calibration process matched satisfactory field data, and the spatial distribution of the modelled fragments is qualitatively similar to the one obtained in the test. Finally, the comparison of scenarios with and without fragmentation is presented.
Analysis of Price Transmission in Pakistan’s Poultry Supply Chains

Increasing levels of concentration in the upstream sector of poultry supply chains have led to concerns about the influence of producers on farm-gate prices. Against this background, we employ threshold-cointegration models to study price transmission mechanisms in Pakistan’s poultry sector. We do not find evidence of asymmetric price transmission in the chicken supply chain. However, evidence of asymmetric price transmission in the egg supply chain points towards the exercise of market power by egg producers. Differences in the short-run price transmission mechanism of eggs and chicken can be traced to the underlying production and marketing activities, in particular, degree of product storability.
The effects of different doses of diclofenac sodium on newborn rat hippocampus exposed during the third trimester

The main aim of the present study was to examine the neurotoxic effects of prenatal exposure to varying doses of diclofenac sodium DS on the rat hippocampus. Twenty-eight Wistar albino adult female rats weighing 280-300 g were initially used for pregnancy. When vaginal plaques were seen in female rats, it was accepted as the 0th day of pregnancy. Female rats were divided into five main groups; pure control, saline, low dose DS 3.6 mg/kg , moderate dose DS 9 mg/kg , and high dose DS 18 mg/kg . They were exposed to these treatments during their gestation. After birth, all newborn male rats were euthanized by overdose anesthesia on the 7th postnatal day. Histological and stereological techniques were used for analyzing tissue samples. The stereological analyses in this study showed that the number of neurons in the hippocampus may be reduced due to the use of DS. Histological investigation of the drug-treated groups showed significant cell loss compared to the control. Darkly stained nuclei of the neurons in the high dose group compared to the other groups were also obvious. When the results are evaluated, it can be concluded that the use of diclofenac sodium during pregnancy may have teratogenic effects on the development of the nervous system.
Implementing structured model of clinical handover (SHARED): Its influence on nurses’ satisfaction

Objective: Clinical handover is acting an important role which nurses are usually involved numerous times in daily working for providing patient care. In spite of the importance of clinical handover, there is no standardized handover practice in our healthcare settings. This study aimed to explore the effect of implementing a structured model of clinical handover (SHARED), and its influence on nurses’ satisfaction.Methods: Design: The quasi-experimental design was utilized. Settings: Conducted at Menoufia University Hospitals at inpatient departments/units. Subjects: A convenient sample of 167 staff nurses who had at least a year of experience and accept to participate in this study. Tools: Tool I, Handover Knowledge Questionnaire; Tool II: clinical handover questionnaire; and Tool III, nurses’ satisfaction questionnaire.Results: Nurses’ levels of total knowledge regarding practices of the current clinical handover were poor at pre-implementation and improved after implementation of the structured model as SHARED. Additionally, there was an improvement of clinical handover attitude after implementation of a SHARED framework among studied subjects and had a good level of attitude than pre-implementation phases.Conclusions: There was the highest level of nurses’ satisfaction regarding clinical handover practice at the post-implementation of SHARD model than pre-implementation.Recommendations: Ongoing educational sessions for nurses and periodic refresher training courses should be provided in order to keep nurses updating knowledge and practice regarding structured and standardized handover models.
Simulating distributions of competitive balance measures in sports leagues: The effects of variation in competition design

This paper examines the distributional properties of the relative standard deviation (RSD) of points percentages, the most common measure of competitive balance (CB) in the sports economics literature, in comparison with other standard-deviation-based CB measures. Simulation methods are used to evaluate the effects of changes in competition design on the distributions of CB measures for different distributions of the strengths of teams in a league. The popular RSD measure performs as expected in cases of perfect balance but, if there is imbalance in team strengths, its distribution is very sensitive to changes in competition design. This has important implications for comparisons of RSD values for different sports leagues with different numbers of teams and/or games played.
Symposium on Foundations and Applications of Blockchain Proceedings

Decentralized cryptocurrencies and smart contracts (e.g., Bitcoin and Ethereum) promise to revolutionize financial industries, forever changing the way money is transferred. They support monetary transactions based on programmable logic between users without requiring to trust a central authority (e.g., a government or a bank). At the heart of their design lies the blockchain, a distributed data structure that is stored and agreed upon by the participating parties and which is readily accessible to anyone in the world. However, due to its size and public nature, several scalability, security and privacy concerns have emerged. In this talk I will show how we can use protocols for verifiable computation (cryptographic techniques that enable an untrusted party to efficiently prove the validity of a statement to a verifier), to address these problems.
Telemedicine in Elderly Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: Narrative Review of the Literature with a Focus on Telemedicine 2.0 Projects

Service de Médecine interne, Diabète et Maladies métaboliques de la clinique médicale B, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, 1, porte de l’Hôpital, 67091 Strasbourg cedex, France. 2 Equipe de recherche EA 3072 "Mitochondrie, Stress oxydant et Protection musculaire", Faculté de Médecine de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg (UdS), 4 rue Kirschleger, 67091 Strasbourg, France. 3 Service de Médecine interne, Gériatrie et Thérapeutique, CHU de Rouen, France. Service de Physiologie et d’Explorations fonctionnelles, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, 1, porte de l’Hôpital, 67091 Strasbourg cedex, France. 5 Predimed Technology, Mulhouse, France. Centre d’expertise des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication pour l’autonomie (CenTich) et Mutualité Française Anjou-Mayenne (MFAM), Angers, France. Equipe de recherche EA 4662 "Nanomédecine, Imagerie, Thérapeutiques", Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbéliard (UTBM), Belfort-Montbéliard, France.
Austerity in MCMC Land: Cutting the Metropolis-Hastings Budget

Can we make Bayesian posterior MCMC sampling more efficient when faced with very large datasets? We argue that computing the likelihood for N datapoints in the Metropolis-Hastings (MH) test to reach a single binary decision is computationally inefficient. We introduce an approximate MH rule based on a sequential hypothesis test that allows us to accept or reject samples with high confidence using only a fraction of the data required for the exact MH rule. While this method introduces an asymptotic bias, we show that this bias can be controlled and is more than offset by a decrease in variance due to our ability to draw more samples per unit of time.
Zentrum für Europäische Integrationsforschung Center for European Integration Studies

The paper presents an investigation of subnational government bailouts in Germany. In a first part we briefly describe the fiscal federalism system in Germany. The main part of the paper examines the bailout of two West German states. We identify the causes of the financial trouble of both states and examine the institutional settings that forced the federal government to provide bailout transfers. In addition, we investigate the impact these transfers had on the fiscal performance of both Länder. In a further section we provide evidence on bailouts of local governments by the German Länder. A final section summarizes our results and presents policy conclusions. ∗ The paper was written during a research visit at the Center of European Integration Studies. In addition, some parts of the paper were prepared during a research visit at the Ministry of Finance of the Land Brandenburg in April 1999. Valuable support from the staff of the Ministry of Finance is gratefully acknowledged. We owe a lot of comments and suggestions to the participants of the ZEI-workshop on ́Comparative Fiscal Federalism ́ at Bonn, 21-22 May 1999. Part of the research on this project was supported from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bonn (Grant SE 540/1-1).