Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Editorial: Technological addictions: The rise of social networks / Adicciones tecnológicas: El auge de las redes sociales

Las llamadas adiciones conductuales, entre ellas Internet, siguen encontrandose en un limbo cientifico por las dificultades que entrana discriminar adecuadamente entre conductas, en principio normales, y patologias que podriamos considerar adictivas. La literatura cientifica ha sabido conceptualizar las adicciones a sustancias de una forma exhaustiva y ahora apuesta por delimitar las adicciones conductuales y sus consecuentes comportamientos de abuso en funcion de parametros que estan relacionados con la frecuencia de uso, el dinero invertido, la necesidad o la compulsion, asi como las interferencias que puede provocar en la vida cotidiana de una persona consiguiendo que deje de cumplir sus obligaciones. Con la llegada de los Servicios de Redes Sociales (SRS) y su amplia repercusion, nos encontramos con un nuevo frente susceptible de adiccion. Estos servicios, ademas de su atractivo y funcionalidad, cuentan con la facilidad de conexion en cualquier momento y desde cualquier lugar, lo que los convierte en potentes reforzadores inmediatos, el mejor caldo de cultivo para una adiccion. Somos plenamente conscientes de que no es posible adelantarse a las tecnologias y, mucho menos, a sus posibles consecuencias, pero seria necesario profundizar mas en el estado actual de las adicciones tecnologicas, en el sentido de como predecir su aparicion entre los mas jovenes y como combatir terapeuticamente de una forma eficaz sus consecuentes. Abstract Behavioral addictions including Internet addiction still remaining in a scientific limbo because of the difficulties related to a properly differentiation between normal and pathological behaviors. Literature has conceptualized substance addiction in a comprehensive manner and now stands for define the behavioral addictions and their consequential abuse behaviors as a function of parameters related to use frequency, money invested, need or compulsion, as well as the interferences in people’s daily lives that may lead them to default on their obligations. As a consequence of the advent of the Social Networking Sites (SNS) and their wide impact among population we may find a new addiction context. These services in addition to their appealing and functionality have an easy connection everywhere at any time, which makes them powerful and immediately enhancers, becoming a breeding ground for an addiction. We are fully aware that is not possible to keep ahead to the technologies and neither their consequences but extra effort is still needed to understand their mechanisms, how can we predict the appearance among young people and how can we fight therapeutically against their consequences.
Genetic Programming Exploratory Power and the Discovery of Functions

Hierarchical genetic programming (HGP) approaches rely on the discovery modification, and use of new functions to accelerate evolution. This paper provides a qualitative explanation of the improved behavior of HGP, based on an analysis of the evolution process from the dual perspective of diversity and causality. From a static point of view, the use of an HGP approach enables the manipulation of a population of higher diversity programs. Higher diversity increases the exploratory ability of the genetic search process, as demonstrated by theoretical and experimental fitness distributions and expanded structural complexity of individuals. From a dynamic point of view, an analysis of the causality of the crossover operator suggests that HGP discovers and exploits useful structures in a bottom-up, hierarchical manner. Diversity and causality are complementary, affecting exploration and exploitation in genetic search. Unlike other machine learning techniques that need extra machinery to control the tradeoff between them, HGP automatically trades off exploration and exploitation.
Visualising number : a study of children's developing sense of number in the computational medium of Boxer

The aim of this study is to investigate children's developing sense of number in the computational medium of Boxer. Boxer's combination of graphical and symbolic elements afforded the opportunity for children to visualise numbers in an operational way while simultaneously offering insights into how this operational approach mediated their thinking. There were three inter-related aspects to the study, with visualisation being the common feature of all three. • (i) How does the visual structure of Boxer influence students' (aged 9 - 11) ability to program? • (ii) What interpretations do students place on a number system extended beyond the natural numbers and how did they choose to represent these? • (iii) How can the learning environment of Boxer be exploited as a context for developing students' sense of number? Following an exploratory study, pedagogical models for investigating issues (i) and (iii) were developed. For issue (i), Boxer was exploited as a means of introducing itself. This, in turn, meant documenting the issues involved in a process of iterative design. For issue (iii), a model of learning was developed which proposed that the children should construct their own microworlds. Following an off-computer investigation of issue (ii), the model was refined to that of children constructing operational computational objects, and the research aim broadened to include an investigation of how these objects mediated their expression of number. This part of the research consisted of a longitudinal study lasting two years. It entailed case studies with four pairs of children, while the rest of the class learned Boxer independently. None of the children had previous Boxer or Logo experience. The research setting was a normal classroom in an inner-London primary school. Data for issues (i) and (iii) was obtained by means of video recordings and annotated print-outs, while data for issue (ii) was obtained by written records and audio recordings. Evidence from the research suggests that students' programming is significantly more structured in Boxer relative to Logo, and this structure is directly related to the visual nature of Boxer. Moreover, data from the number studies suggests that this visual structure was also instrumental in providing students with the means to connect number processes with number concepts, thus enabling them to engage with number ideas which might otherwise have been beyond their reach.
AKTIVITAS DAN PERSEPSI PESERTA DIDIK DALAM IMPLEMENTASI LABORATORIUM VIRTUAL PADA MATERI FISIKA MODERN DI SMA

Telah dilakukan penelitian untuk mengetahui aktivitas dan persepsi peserta didik yang diajar dengan pembelajaran berbasis laboratorium virtual pada materi Fisika Modern. Jenis penelitian adalah pra-eksperimen, dan sampel populasi berupa peserta didik kelas XII IPA SMA Tut Wuri Handayani, Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan, sebanyak 14 orang. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan aktivitas peserta didik selama proses pembelajaran berada di atas 80% dari setiap kriteria yaitu memperhatikan demonstrasi, mencari konsep, melakukan perhitungan, latihan, mengkategorikan, menjelaskan konsep, mempresentasikan, dan mengkreasikan proses. Persentase persepsi peserta didik adalah 91,03%, yang menunjukkan bahwa peserta didik sangat setuju terhadap pembelajaran yang dilakukan.
Why we choose, how we choose, what we choose. The influence of Decision Initiation Motives on Decision Making

Ilona McNeill wilde inzicht krijgen in waarom mensen beginnen met het nemen van beslissingen, en hoe hun redenen vervolgens hun keuze beinvloeden. Zo kan je op zoek gaan naar een nieuwe telefoon, omdat je oude kapot is gegaan (het is noodzaak). Maar je kan ook op zoek gaan naar een nieuwe telefoon, omdat je het wel tijd vindt voor een nieuw model (plezier/gemaksmotief). McNeill toont dat onze redenen wel degelijk invloed hebben op hoe we kiezen. Iemand die noodzakelijk een nieuwe telefoon moest hebben, zou wel eens met een ander model de winkel uit zou kunnen lopen dan iemand die vond dat het tijd was voor een nieuw model. McNeill laat ook zien dat er niet een bepaalde manier is van keuzes maken die het beste is voor iedereen. Zo werkt het voor sommige mensen beter om zich tijdens het beslissen te focussen op wat ze kunnen leren van deze beslissing (denk aan algemene wijnkennis bij het uitzoeken van een fles), terwijl andere zich beter gewoon op de uitkomst kunnen richten (het uitzoeken van de juiste wijn voor een bepaalde gelegenheid). Dit heeft niet alleen invloed op welke keuze gemaakt wordt; het heeft ook invloed op hoe men zijn uiteindelijke keuze waardeert. Als je kiest op een wijze die het beste bij jou past, is de kans groot dat je de keuze ook meer waardeert. McNeill concludeert dat als je mensen wilt motiveren om een bepaalde beslissing te nemen, het belangrijk is om niet alleen te kijken naar wat hier het sterkste motief zou kunnen zijn. Kijk vooruit en bedenk je ook welke invloed dit soort motief zal hebben indien er daadwerkelijk met beslissen begonnen wordt.
Speeding Up Canny Edge Detection Using Shared Memory Processing

Image processing is a computational operation that requires many CPU cycles for simple image transformation. It takes every pixel of an image to perform a transformation to a new image. The image can be divided into smaller chunks, with same transformation operations being implemented on each. Thus, image processing is a good candidate for running on a parallel processor to improve the speed of computation when there are multiple images to be processed. In fact, this research focuses on Canny edge detection as a case study of probing parallelism. This work presents the design and implementation of sequential and parallel edge detection algorithms that are capable of producing high-quality results and performing at high speed. Therefore, this research aims to improve the Canny edge detection algorithm in terms of speed and scalability with different sizes of images. The algorithm is implemented using Java language with the Parallel Java library. In the first phase of the project, the Canny is implemented on a shared-memory processor. It is found that there is a valuable gained speedup with respect to the sequential version. In addition, it is found that more parallelism is explored in larger image sizes with Canny edge detector.
A LOCAL BRANCHING APPROACH FOR THE SET COVERING PROBLEM

The set covering problem (SCP) is a well-known combinatorial optimization problem. This paper investigates development of a local branching-based solution approach for the SCP. This solution strategy is exact in nature, though it is designed to improve the heuristic behavior of the mixed integer programming solver. The algorithm parameters are tuned by design of experiments approach. The proposed method is tested on the several standard instances. The results show that the algorithm outperforms the best heuristic approaches found in the literature.
Poverty and the Art of Medicine: Barriers to Empathy in Medical Education

Andrew Schocket, Advisor Medicine is caught in a contradiction between values of scientific distance and compassion. These seemingly opposite concerns are negotiated by physicians on a daily basis, but are not addressed explicitly in medical education curriculum. This study investigates poverty as one particular issue caught in the contradiction between science and compassion. Medical education culture implicitly creates a variety of understandings of what it means to be poor in the United States and how poverty contributes to overall health outcomes. A cultural studies approach was utilized to analyze the topic of medical education and poverty from a variety of vantage points. The shift of medical education to a science focus in the early twentieth century is explored historically by looking at the discourse within the Association of American Medical Colleges’ annual meeting minutes as well as discussions within the Journal of American Medicine. Twenty-four physicians were interviewed directly about their experiences with poverty. Contemporary critical theory was used to analyze medical education culture and better understand how power is negotiated in medical settings across class. A debate emerges from discussions of poverty in early twentieth century medicine about the potential loss of the art of medicine for the science. The art of medicine is not carefully defined but is discussed as the doctor’s personal experience, the relationship between the doctor and the patient and what is uncertain about medicine. Science cultures did come in the way of the art of medicine but so did class dynamics. For some physicians, middle-class sensibilities and science cultures of detachment create poverty as invisible. Compassion and feelings of responsibility for the poor were common feelings shared by the physicians interviewed. Empathy for what it must be like to live poor in America was less common. From this analysis, this dissertation argues that doctors
Effect of Chinese Medicine Combined with Acupuncture on Peripheral Blood TNF-α and IL-6 Expression of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Objective:To observe the clinical curative effect of Didang decoction combined with acupuncture in Du Meridian points of Alzheimer's disease and to explore its therapeutic mechanism from the point of the inflammatory response. Method: 80 patients were randomly divided into traditional Chinese medicine group, acupuncture group, acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine group and Western medicine group, 20 cases in each group.The Chinese medicine group was treated with Jiajian Didang decoction, acupuncture group received acupuncture in Baihui and Dazhui acupoint, acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine group was treated with both Jiajian Didang decoction and acupuncture,the Western medicine group was given oral donepezil,the clinical efficacy was observed after 12 weeks, while before and after the treatment peripheral blood TNF-α and IL-6 expression of patients were detected by ELISA.Result:After treatment, the total effective rate of acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine group was 90%, which was significantly higher than 80% of traditional Chinese medicine group, 85% of acupuncture group and 60% of Western medicine group, the differences were statistically significant(P0.05). The peripheral blood TNF-α and IL-6 expression of patients in acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine group were significantly lower than those in the traditional Chinese medicine group, acupuncture group and Western medicine group, the differences were statistically significant(P0.01). Conclusion:The curative effect of Didang decoction combined with acupuncture in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease is exact and the effective mechanism may be related to reduce the levels of serum IL-6,TNF-a and other inflammatory factors.
Evaluating Mobile Health Apps for Customized Dietary Recording for Young Adults and Seniors: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background The role of individual-tailored dietary recording in mobile phone health apps has become increasingly important in management of self-health care and population-based preventive service. The development of such mobile apps for user-centered designing is still challengeable and requires further scientific evidence. Objective This study aims to conduct a randomized trial to assess the accuracy and time efficiency of two prototypes for dietary recoding utilization related to the input method of food intake. Methods We first present an innovative combinatorial concept for dietary recording to account for dish variation. One prototype was a self-chosen tab app that featured choosing each food ingredient to synthesize an individual dish, whereas the other was an autonomous exhaustive list app that provided one selection from a comprehensive list of dish items. The concept included commercially available choices that allowed users to more accurately account for their individual food selection. The two mobile apps were compared in a head-to-head parallel randomized trial evaluation. Young adults (n=70, aged 18-29) and older adults (n=35, aged 55-73) were recruited and randomized into two groups for accuracy and response time evaluation based on 12 types of food items in use of the developed self-chosen tab and autonomous exhaustive list apps, respectively. Results For the trials based on the self-chosen tab (53 participants) and autonomous exhaustive list groups (52 participants), the two prototypes were found to be highly accurate (>98%). The self-chosen tab app was found to be more efficient, requiring significantly less time for input of 11 of 12 items (P<.05). The self-chosen tab users occasionally neglected to select food attributes, an issue which did not occur in the autonomous exhaustive list group. Conclusions Our study contributes through the scientific evaluation of the transformation step into prototype development to demonstrate that a self-chosen tab app has potentially better opportunity in effectiveness and efficiency. The combinatorial concept offers potential for dietary recording and planning which can account for high food item variability. Our findings on prototype development of diversified dietary recordings provide design consideration and user interaction for related further app development and improvement. Trial Registration ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN86142301; http://www.isrctn. com/ ISRCTN86142301 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/74YLEPYnS)
Structure adaptive anisotropic filtering

Noise filtering of images is essentially a smoothing process and it is an issue that has been addressed for many years. The most commonly used low-pass filtering methods blur important image structures such as edges and lines thus reducing the image contrast and damaging image fidelity. The paper presents a structure adaptive anisotropic filtering method with its application to processing multidimensional magnetic resonance images.
Awareness and practices of menstrual hygiene among females of reproductive age in rural Puducherry – a mixed method study

Abstract Background Menstruation is a physiological process. Unfortunately, there is substantial lacuna in knowledge related to menstrual hygiene among females. Objectives To assess the awareness and prevailing practices of menstrual hygiene, prevalence of symptoms related to genito-urinary tract infection, and the factors influencing menstrual hygiene practices, among women of reproductive age in rural Puducherry. Methodology The study was conducted in March 2017 in rural Puducherry adopting a mixed-methods approach. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used for a quantitative survey among 357 women of reproductive age. Qualitative data was collected through focused group discussions (FGDs). Results The mean age of the participants was 28.25 + 9.25 years. Thirty-three percent of the respondents had menstrual knowledge prior to menarche. A total of 90.8% were aware that menstruation is a physiological process. The majority of respondents 94.1%, used sanitary napkins as absorbents during menstruation and 60.7% of them changed it 3 times a day. Regarding the method of disposal, 47.6% participants threw it into the routine waste and 43.8% burnt it after use. Among 8.9% of cloth users 62.5% used a new cloth for each cycle and 37.5% of respondents washed and reused the cloth. Satisfactory cleaning of external genitalia was practised by 62.2%. Only 11.2% respondents had symptoms related to genito-urinary tract infection. From FGDs it was observed that the several socio-cultural factors and taboos restrict them from practising safe menstrual hygiene practices. Conclusion Our study has revealed that most of the females are still unaware of menstrual hygienic practices which suggest the need for appropriate health intervention measures to be implemented for their well-being.
Estimating the variance in case of undermodeling using bootstrap

Simulation based methods have gained interest in the signal processing community. In this article we propose an algorithm to estimate the probability density function of some statistic associated with an identified model in the case of undermodeling. With this algorithm, we are thus able to estimate the variance error of any statistic associated with the model. We also give a simulation example, which shows that the estimates are in very good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations.
Routing Architecture of Next-Generation Internet (RANGI)

IRTF Routing Research Group (RRG) is exploring a new routing and addressing architecture to address the issues with the current Internet, e.g., mobility, multi-homing, traffic engineering, and especially the routing scalability. This document describes a new identifier (ID)/locator split based routing and addressing architecture, called Routing Architecture for the Next Generation Internet (RANGI), in an attempt to deal with the above problems.
Spill code minimization techniques for graph coloring register allocators

Graph coloring algorithms have been shown to be an efficient and effective means of performing global register allocation. The power and appeal of these algorithms lie in their strong coloring heuristics and their ability to abstract away seemingly disparate allocation problems such as data-flow constraints, conforming to compiler calling conventions and restrictions due to machine specific details. However, even optimal graph coloring algorithms cannot color every graph. For uncolorable graphs, some live ranges must be spilled to memory to make room for others. The amount of spill code generated and its location can greatly affect a program's performance, so great care should be taken to minimize the amount of spill code inserted. Previous spill code minimization techniques by Chaitin et al. at IBM Yorktown and Bernstein et al. at IBM Haifa have been limited to minimizing spill code on a basic block level. This thesis presents several new global techniques which can be used in conjunction with the heuristics developed by Chaitin et al. and Bernstein et al. to further minimize the amount of spill code produced. These techniques are based on our new definition of interference regions. Interference regions specific the portion of the program where two interfering live ranges are live simultaneously. Inserting spill code for one of the live ranges in their interference region removes their interference since they are no longer live simultaneously. In addition, the implementations of our various techniques are presented and evaluated in detail. Finally, for the benchmarks used, results show that our techniques can reduce dynamically executed spill code by up to 75% and improve execution time by over 15%.