Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Superheroes : Designing for New Players in Public Space

We are exploring methods for participatory and public involvement of new 'players' in the design space. Underdogs & Superheroes involves a game-based methodology – a series of creative activities or games – in order to engage people experientially, creatively, and personally throughout the design process. We have found that games help engage users’ imaginations by representing reality without limiting expectations to what's possible here and now; engaging experiential and personal perspectives (the 'whole' person); and opening the creative process to hands-on user participation through low/no-tech materials and a widelyunderstood approach.
Ship detection by using the M-Chi and M-Delta decompositions

Ocean surveillance is an important application in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. Polarimetric SAR (Pol-SAR) provides the multi-channel scattering information and hence is very promising for earth observation. Recently, the dual polarimetric SAR especially the hybrid dual-pol mode (i.e., compact polarimetry) has been given a growing concern. It can provide wide imaging swath coverage with reduced system complexity and thus is of great potential for maritime surveillance applications. Compact decomposition methods have been widely evaluated and applied to the land cover applications. In this study, we investigate the performances of compact decompositions for ship detection. The surveillance scenario is focused on the coastal areas, where low wind regions (LWR) and small ships with low backscattered intensity often appear in Pol-SAR imagery. The compact m-δ and m-χ decompositions are included to show the importance of the contribution of total backscattered energy in ship detection. Results are demonstrated on two RADARSAT-2 acquisitions over Tianjin port and Dalian port, China.
Discontinuation of statins among patients with type 2 diabetes

Statins play an important role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes. Several studies have reported low adherence with statins among patients with type 2 diabetes. Studies comparing discontinuation of statins compared with discontinuation of oral anti‐diabetics within the same individuals before and after initiation of oral anti‐diabetic drugs are not available. The aim of this study was to describe discontinuation among patients with type 2 diabetes prescribed statins prior to and after initiation of oral anti‐diabetics and to compare statin discontinuation with discontinuation of oral anti‐diabetics.
Intertextuality as Source and Evidence for Indirect Indexical Meanings

AGoogle search conducted on a single Mock Spanish lexical item, "manana," produces an intertextual series comparable to the kind of exposure to multiple tokens of Mock Spanish that English speakers might encounter over a much longer period of time. Tokens of "manana" are consciously associated with Spanish speakers and exhibit a narrow range of "keys," ranging from the jocular to the pejorative. The pejorative senses of /man'yane/ are sometimes accompanied by overtly negative stereotyping of Spanish speakers. The properties of the intertextual series support hypotheses previously developed about the indexical functions of Mock Spanish, a set of lexical items that can be used to create a particular colloquial tone in most varieties of English.
Nerve repair by means of tubulization: Literature review and personal clinical experience comparing biological and synthetic conduits for sensory nerve repair

Nerve repair is usually accomplished by direct suture when the two stumps can be approximated without tension. In the presence of a nerve defect, the placement of an autologous nerve graft is the current gold standard for nerve restoration. However, over the last 20 years, an increasing number of research articles reported on the use of non‐nervous tubes (tubulization) for repairing nerve defects. The clinical employment of tubes (both biological and synthetic) as an alternative to autogenous nerve grafts is mainly justified by the limited availability of donor tissue for nerve autografts and the related morbidity. In addition, tubulizat ion was proposed as an alternative to direct nerve sutures in order to create optimal conditions for nerve regeneration over the short empty space intentionally left between two nerve stumps. This paper outlines recent important advances in this field. Different tubulization techniques proposed so far are described, focusing in particular on studies that reported on the employment of tubes with patients. Our personal clinical experience on tubulization repair of sensory nerve lesions (digital nerves), using both biological and synthetic tubes, is presented, and the clinical results are compared. In our case series, both types of tubes led to good clinical results. Finally, we speculate about the prospects in the clinical application of tubulization for peripheral nerve repair. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 25:258–267, 2005.
Mild and moderate hypothermia (alpha-stat) do not impair the coupling between local cerebral blood flow and metabolism in rats.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The effects of hypothermia on global cerebral blood flow (CBF) and glucose utilization (CGU) have been extensively studied, but less information exists on a local cerebral level. We investigated the effects of normothermic and hypothermic anesthesia on local CBF (LCBF) and local CGU (LCGU). METHODS Thirty-six rats were anesthetized with isoflurane (1 MAC) and artificially ventilated to maintain normal PaCO(2) (alpha-stat). Pericranial temperature was maintained normothermic (37.5 degrees C, n=12) or was reduced to 35 degrees C (n=12) or 32 degrees C (n=12). Pericranial temperature was maintained constant for 60 min until LCBF and LCGU were measured with autoradiography. Twelve conscious rats served as normothermic control animals. RESULTS Normothermic anesthesia significantly increased mean CBF compared with conscious control animals (29%, P<0.05). Mean CBF was reduced to control values with mild hypothermia and to 30% below control animals with moderate hypothermia (P<0.05). Normothermic anesthesia reduced mean CGU by 44%. No additional effects were observed during mild hypothermia. Moderate hypothermia resulted in a further reduction in mean CGU (41%, P<0.05). Local analysis showed linear relationships between LCBF and LCGU in normothermic conscious (r=0.93), anesthetized (r=0.92), and both hypothermic groups (35 degrees C r=0. 96, 32 degrees C r=0.96, P<0.05). The LCBF-to-LCGU ratio increased from 1.5 to 2.5 mL/micromol during anesthesia (P<0.05), remained at 2.4 mL/micromol during mild hypothermia, and decreased during moderate hypothermia (2.1 mL/micromol, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Anesthesia and hypothermia induce divergent changes in mean CBF and CGU. However, local analysis demonstrates a well-maintained linear relationship between LCBF and LCGU during normothermic and hypothermic anesthesia.
Individual Differences in Children's Suggestibility: A Review and Synthesis

Over the last decade, there has been a significant growth in the study of individual differences factors predicting children's suggestibility. In this paper, we synthesize the results of 69 studies examining the relationship of demographic factors (socioeconomic status and gender), cognitive factors (intelligence, language, memory, theory of mind, executive functioning, behavioural ratings of distractibility, and creativity), and psycho-social factors (social engagement, self concept/self-efficacy, stress/emotional arousal/state anxiety, maternal attachment styles, parent-child relationship, parenting styles, temperament, and mental health) and children's suggestibility. We found that for cognitive factors, language ability and creativity were fairly consistently related to suggestibility. The highest correlations for psycho-social factors and suggestibility were obtained for measures of self-concept/self-efficacy, maternal attachment, and the parent-child relationship. Implications for future research and mechanisms underlying children's suggestibility are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mechanism of fusidic acid inhibition of RRF- and EF-G-dependent splitting of the bacterial post-termination ribosome

The antibiotic drug fusidic acid (FA) is commonly used in the clinic against gram-positive bacterial infections. FA targets ribosome-bound elongation factor G (EF-G), a translational GTPase that accelerates both messenger RNA (mRNA) translocation and ribosome recycling. How FA inhibits translocation was recently clarified, but FA inhibition of ribosome recycling by EF-G and ribosome recycling factor (RRF) has remained obscure. Here we use fast kinetics techniques to estimate mean times of ribosome splitting and the stoichiometry of GTP hydrolysis by EF-G at varying concentrations of FA, EF-G and RRF. These mean times together with previous data on uninhibited ribosome recycling were used to clarify the mechanism of FA inhibition of ribosome splitting. The biochemical data on FA inhibition of translocation and recycling were used to model the growth inhibitory effect of FA on bacterial populations. We conclude that FA inhibition of translocation provides the dominant cause of bacterial growth reduction, but that FA inhibition of ribosome recycling may contribute significantly to FA-induced expression of short regulatory open reading frames, like those involved in FA resistance.
An analysis of the reciprocal collision avoidance of cooperative robots

This paper presents a formal approach that addresses the reciprocal robots collision avoidance, where two robots need to avoid collisions with each other, while moving in a common workspace. Based on our formulation, each physical robot acts fully independently, communicating with the corresponding virtual prototype and imitating its behavior. Each physical robot reproduces the pathway of its virtual prototype. With a view to collision avoidance, it is necessary to detect a possible collision. This action includes the potentially intersecting regions test of the corresponding virtual prototypes. The estimation of the collision-free actions on the virtual robots and the collaborative work of the physical robots which imitate their virtual prototypes are the original ideas. Based on potentially intersecting regions of the virtual robots, we identified a collision-free motion corridor for two cooperative robots. Using the definition of velocity obstacles, we derived sufficient conditions for the collision-free motion of the two virtual robots. We tested the present approach on several complex simulation scenarios involving two virtual robots and estimating collision-free actions for each of them during the cooperative tasks. The focus of this paper is the identification of the collision-free actions for two virtual robots and their behavioral imitation by the physical robots.
HDM: A Hybrid Data Mining Technique for Stock Exchange Prediction

This paper 3 addresses the accuracy of predictions in stock exchange using data mining methods. To do this we modeled the problem by means of a time series. After this, a novel data mining technique is used to classify data. The proposed technique combines the advantages of time series analysis and data mining approaches in order to enhance the prediction accuracy. In order to evaluate the proposed technique, it is compared with the well known data mining techniques. In comparisons we used the Dow Jones Industrial data for all methods to have fair comparison. Results show that the proposed technique has at least 34% improvement in prediction accuracy. Keywords-stock exchange; data mining; prediction;
Mapping the Evolution of eLearning from 1977–2005 to Inform Understandings of eLearning Historical Trends

While there have been very limited studies of the educational computing literature to analyze the research trends since the early emergence of educational computing technologies, the authors argue that it is important for both researchers and educators to understand the major, historical educational computing trends in order to inform understandings of current and future eLearning trends. This study provides the findings of an analysis of 2,694 journal articles published between 1977 and 2005 in four major, international educational computing journals. It provides the platform for a subsequent analysis for the period 2006-2014 and beyond, as future educational computing research is published. The journal articles analyzed were categorized according to their research themes. Subsequently, clustering analysis, multi-dimension scale analysis, and research diversity analysis were performed on the categorized results to explore the research trends. The research literature analysis confirmed that there were identifiable evolutionary trends dating from 1977, and, importantly, the analysis highlighted that each key breakthrough in technology was accompanied by increased educational research about those technologies to inform educational practices. Importantly, two major driving forces of the historical trends identified were technologies and pedagogical approaches. The paper concludes with explanations of how these trends from 1977-2005 have shaped the current focus on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) needed for effective current and future eLearning.
The Cost of Inequality: Metropolitan Structure and Violent Crime

The hypothesis tested is that variations in rates of urban criminal violence largely result from differences in racial inequality in socioeconomic conditions. Data on the 125 largest American metropolitan areas (SMSAs) are used to ascertain whether this hypothesis can account for three correlates of violent crime differently interpreted in the literature. Criminal violence is positively related to location in the South, which has been interpreted as the result of the Southern tradition of violence. It is positively related to the proportion of blacks in an SMSA, which has been interpreted as reflecting a subculture of violence in ghettos. And it is positively related to poverty, which has been interpreted as the emphasis on toughness and excitement in the culture of poverty. The analysis reveals that socioeconomic inequality between races, as well as economic inequality generally, increases rates of criminal violence, but once economic inequalities are controlled poverty no longer influences these rates, neither does Southern location, and the proportion of blacks in the population hardly does. These results imply that if there is a culture of violence, its roots are pronounced economic inequalities, especially if associated with ascribed position.
Bioceramics: From Concept to Clinic

Ceramics used for the repair and reconstruction of diseased or damaged parts of the musculo-skeletal system, termed bioceramics, may be bioinert (alumina, zirconia), resorbable (tricalcium phosphate), bioactive (hydroxyapatite, bioactive glasses, and glass-ceramics), or porous for tissue ingrowth (hydroxyapatite-coated metals, alumina). Applications include replacements for hips, knees, teeth, tendons, and ligaments and repair for periodontal disease, maxillofacial reconstruction, augmentation and stabilization of the jaw bone, spinal fusion, and bone fillers after tumor surgery. Carbon coatings are thromboresistant and are used for prosthetic heart valves. The mechanisms of tissue bonding to bioactive ceramics are beginning to be understood, which can result in the molecular design of bioceramics for interfacial bonding with hard and soft tissues. Composites are being developed with high toughness and elastic modulus match with bone. Therapeutic treatment of cancer has been achieved by localized delivery of radioactive isotopes via glass beads. Development of standard test methods for prediction of long-term (20-year) mechanical reliability under load is still needed.
Factors that influence the expected length of operation: results of a prospective study

Background In the operating room, factors such as interruptions, communication failures, team familiarity and the unpredictability of unplanned cases can prolong the length of an operation, and lead to inefficiency and increased costs. However, little is known about the extent to which such factors contribute to extending the expected length of an operation. Aim To describe factors that prolong the expected length of an operation. Methods Structured observations were performed on a purposive sample of 160 surgical procedures across 10 specialties of planned and unplanned surgeries. During the 6-month period, a trained observer structured observations. Bivariate correlations and a standard multiple regression model were developed to describe associations among unplanned operations, interruptions, prebriefings, team familiarity, communication failures and the outcome, and deviation from expected operation time. Results Of the three explanatory variables entered into the regression model, the only significant predictor of deviation in expected length of operation was the number of communication failures (p=0.013). This model explained 4.5% of the variance in deviation in expected length of operation (p=0.018). Conclusions The results of this study validate the role of prospective observational research methods in unveiling critical factors that contribute to deviation in expected length of operation. These results have the potential to inform evidence-based interventions aimed at ameliorating the effects of miscommunications, hence improve patient safety.
Annual report readability variability: tests of the obfuscation hypothesis

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the presence of variability within the chairman’s address section of the annual report. The coefficiency of variation (V) is used as a simple statistical measure, with calculations based on three Flesch‐based Reading Ease scores from 100‐word passages of 120 annual reports of Hong Kong public companies for 1994/5. Vs range from 4.83 percent to 89.64 percent and 106 companies have Vs greater than 10 percent. Discernible reading ease patterns are shown to be present according to chi‐square tests. Management propensity to obfuscate is introduced in the form of hypotheses, namely, companies with high variability and low readability will be associated with “bad news” and high levels of press coverage, this last variable being introduced into the readability literature for the first time. The obfuscation was accepted for companies with high financial press coverage.
Morphine metabolites

Morphine is a potent opioid analgesic widely used for the treatment of acute pain and for long‐term treatment of severe pain. Morphine is a member of the morphinan‐framed alkaloids, which are present in the poppy plant. The drug is soluble in water, but its solubility in lipids is poor.
Values Cannot Be Ignored

We agree with Ferdman and Sagiv (2012) that the disciplines of workplace diversity and cross-cultural work psychology can and should learn from one another. However, we think it is important to consider the implications of a ‘‘value-free’’ cross-cultural work psychology. Although cross-cultural work psychology scholars may attempt to describe culture without systematic preferences, as Ferdman and Sagiv suggest, culture inherently imposes a set of values on individuals that affect their interpersonal and intergroup interactions. Cultural values affect reactions to diversity in the United States and the ability to generalize and export U.S. diversity concepts to other countries. Moreover, value-free approaches to cross-cultural work psychology have had the unintended consequence of discounting value-laden cross-cultural interactions and thus have sometimes inhibited diversity work.
Economic Crises in Turkey and Pathways to the Future

This paper investigates the Turkish economy within a comparative historical framework. In light of a thorough discussion of Turkish economic crises in the post-1980 period, the paper explores Turkey's contemporary strengths and weaknesses in the global economic arena by comparing it with its peers and developed nations. The paper also highlights Turkey's extant economic vulnerabilities, especially its current account deficit, volatile international capital flows and ongoing banking sector problems. Along with other policy recommendations regarding these vulnerabilities, the paper proposes the introduction of capital controls to enhance economic institutions and cope with future hardships.
Particle Swarm Optimization for Energy-Aware Virtual Machine Placement Optimization in Virtualized Data Centers

A critical research issue is to lower the energy consumption of a virtualized data center by means of virtual machine placement optimization while satisfying the resource requirements of the cloud services. In this paper, we focus on different existing schemes and on the energy-aware virtual machine placement optimization problem of a heterogeneous virtualized data center. We attempt to explore a better alternative approach to minimizing the energy consumption, and we observe that particle swarm optimization (PSO) has considerable potential. However, the PSO must be improved to solve an optimization problem. The improvement includes redefining the parameters and operators of the PSO, adopting an energy-aware local fitness first strategy and designing a novel coding scheme. Using the improved PSO, an optimal virtual machine replacement scheme with the lowest energy consumption can be found. Experimental results indicate that our approach significantly outperforms other approaches, and can lessen 13%-23% energy consumption in the context of this paper.
Sickness absence as a measure of health status and functioning: from the UK Whitehall II study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE--To investigate the relationship between self reported health status and sickness absence. DESIGN--Analysis of questionnaire and sickness absence data from the first phase of the Whitehall II study--a longitudinal study set up to investigate the degree and causes of the social gradient in morbidity and mortality. SETTING--London offices of 20 civil service departments. PARTICIPANTS--Altogether 6895 male and 3413 female civil servants aged 35-55 years. Analysis was conducted on 88% of participants who had complete data for the present analysis. MAIN RESULTS--A strong inverse relation between the grade of employment (measure of socioeconomic status) and sickness absence was observed. Men in the lowest grade had rates of sickness absence six times higher than those in the highest grade. For women the corresponding differences were two to five times higher. In general, the longer the duration of absence, the more strongly did baseline health predict rates of absence. However, the health measures also predicted shorter spells, although to a lesser extent. Job satisfaction was strongly related to sickness absence with higher rates in those who reported low job satisfaction. After adjusting for health status the association remained for one to two day absences, but was greatly reduced for absences longer than three days. CONCLUSION--There was a strong association between ill health and sickness absence, particularly for longer spells. The magnitude of the association may have been underestimated because of the strength of the association between grade of employment and sickness absence. It is proposed that sickness absence be used as an integrated measure of physical, psychological, and social functioning in studies of working populations.