Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Social Media Can and Should Impact Higher Education.

E arlier this year, I participated in a college lecture that was both commonplace and radical. As a professional theater critic and reporter, I am often asked to speak to theater, English and composition students about the tools and role of criticism, so in that way, my invitation to address a group of undergraduates at Davidson College in Charlotte, N.C. , was like any other. It was how I delivered the lecture that made the experience stand out. I live in New York City, and the professor who invited me to her class at Davidson didn’t have the travel budget to get me a Metrocard for the subway, let alone a plane ticket to North Carolina. Her suggestion was that I call her class using Skype, an online calling program that allows users to see and hear each other live over their computer screens. She figured that since Skype lets families and friends stay in touch across enormous distances, it might connect students and guest faculty as well. And so I set up my laptop and Skyped with a roomful of undergraduates. After some technical difficulties, they were able to see and hear me on a large screen in their classroom, and I was able to see and hear them as well. They listened, took notes, asked questions and engaged in discussion. Some of them even contacted me later. Except for the fact that I never shared a physical space with them, my experience with the Davidson students was remarkably similar to the experience I’ve had with students in the actual world. But as radical as it was for me personally, my Skype lecture was just part of the rapidly expanding universe of social media in higher education. Interactive, community-focused online tools – think of programs like Skype, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, wikis and the
Rapid a Conngurable Computing Architecture for Compute-intensive Applications Rapid -a Conngurable Computing Architecture for Compute-intensive Applications

Con gurable computers have attracted considerable attention recently because they promise to deliver the performance of application-speci c hardware along with the exibility of general-purpose computers. Unfortunately, con gurable computing has had rather limited success to date. We believe that the FPGAs currently used to construct con gurable computers are too general to achieve good cost-performance on computationally-intensive applications that demand special-purpose hardware. This paper describes a new architecture called RaPiD (Recon gurable Pipelined Datapaths), which is optimized for highly repetitive, computationally-intensive tasks. Very deep application-speci c computation pipelines can be con gured in RaPiD that deliver very high performance for a wide range of applications. RaPiD achieves this using a coarse-grained recon gurable architecture that mixes the appropriate amount of static con guration with dynamic control.
GPU acceleration of real time Viola-Jones face detection

Face detection is a stepping stone to all facial processing systems such as face recognition with the task of determining face region from the input frame for applications like surveillance and law enforcement. However, face detection is a computational expensive process and thus, with acceleration it can influence the performance of the system. The latest Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) technology via Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) has proven its capability to accelerate computation intensive algorithms to improve overall system performance. Thus, in this paper, a GPU acceleration of frontal face detection system utilizing Viola-Jones algorithm based on the Adaptive Boosting (Adaboost) using OpenCV and CUDA is presented. Experiments results show that the proposed GPU acceleration of face detection is able to achieve a speed up of up to 18 times, as compared to the conventional Central Processing Unit (CPU) version algorithm and yet maintain its detection accuracy.
1 BID TOGETHER , BUY TOGETHER : ON THE EFFICACY OF GROUP-BUYING BUSINESS MODELS IN INTERNET-BASED SELLING

In recent years, the advent of electronic commerce has led to the creation of many new and interesting business models for Internet-based selling. In this paper, we will explore a variant of the typical dynamic pricing mechanism, in which buyers and sellers actively engage in the price discovery process, that emphasizes the power of group buying. Dynamic pricing approaches are used by many well known Internet-based firms, including firms that offer online auctions such as eBay and Amazon.com. A group-buying discount is a dynamic pricing mechanism that mimics the general approach of traditional “discount shopping clubs. ” Group buying pricing mechanisms permit buyers to aggregate their purchasing power and obtain lower prices than they otherwise would be able to get individually. However, with the recent closing of Mercata.com, a leading group-buying Web site, and the change in strategic direction of another market leader, Mobshop.com, the future of group-buying discount business models in Internet-based selling is no longer clear. In this essay, we will: (1) introduce the innovations associated with group-buying business models in Internet-based selling; (2) characterize the operational aspects of dynamic pricing mechanisms for group-buying through a discussion of a series of mini-cases with different firms that are widely recognized as the innovators in this area; (3) assess the quality of their business models relative to other new business models for Internet-based selling; and (4) draw conclusions about their sustainability in light of competitive forces in the marketplace.
Combined Androgen and Estrogen Receptor Status in Breast Cancer: Treatment Prediction and Prognosis in a Population-Based Prospective Cohort

Purpose: To evaluate whether tumor androgen receptor (AR) expression was prognostic and/or predictive for endocrine treatment alone or in combination with estrogen receptor (ER). The AR has been hypothesized to have differential prognostic roles in breast cancer depending on tumor ER status, and to influence endocrine treatment response. Experimental Design: A population-based prospective cohort of 1,026 patients diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer in Lund, Sweden, between 2002 and 2012 was followed until June 2014. Associations between immunohistochemical AR expression in tumor tissue microarrays, patient and tumor characteristics, and AR genotypes were analyzed. Disease-free survival (DFS) by AR status, and combined ER/AR status was assessed in various treatment groups. Results: AR expression was assessable in 913 tumors. AR+ tumors (85.0%) were associated with higher age (P = 0.036) and favorable tumor characteristics. The AR+ status was a prognostic marker for DFS (LogRank P = 0.025). There was an interaction between AR and ER expression with respect to prognosis (adjusted Pinteraction ≤ 0.024). Tumors with discordant hormone receptor expressions (ER+AR− or ER−AR+) demonstrated worse prognosis compared with concordant tumor expressions (ER+AR+ or ER−AR−) in multivariable models [adjusted HRs (95% confidence intervals); ≥1.99 (1.28–3.10), P ≤ 0.002]. ER+AR− indicated early treatment failure with aromatase inhibitors (AI) among chemonaïve patients aged 50 or older. Conclusions: Prediction of breast cancer prognosis and treatment response was improved by combining AR and ER status. AR negativity predicted early treatment failure with AI but not tamoxifen, a finding that warrants confirmation in a randomized setting. Patients may benefit from anti-androgens or selective AR modulators. Clin Cancer Res; 21(16); 3640–50. ©2015 AACR.
Human capital and poverty alleviation

This paper is based on the transcript of a lecture presented by the author on the importance of human resources development as a means of poverty mitigation and the valuation of human capital in national wealth. The lecture was presented at the World Bank, December 16, 1994. The paper includes a summary of questions from the audience asked at the conclusion of the lecture, and the author's responses.
Modern Electrophysiological Methods for Brain-Computer Interfaces

Modern electrophysiological studies in animals show that the spectrum of neural oscillations encoding relevant information is broader than previously thought and that many diverse areas are engaged for very simple tasks. However, EEG-based brain-computer interfaces (BCI) still employ as control modality relatively slow brain rhythms or features derived from preselected frequencies and scalp locations. Here, we describe the strategy and the algorithms we have developed for the analysis of electrophysiological data and demonstrate their capacity to lead to faster accurate decisions based on linear classifiers. To illustrate this strategy, we analyzed two typical BCI tasks. (1) Mu-rhythm control of a cursor movement by a paraplegic patient. For this data, we show that although the patient received extensive training in mu-rhythm control, valuable information about movement imagination is present on the untrained high-frequency rhythms. This is the first demonstration of the importance of high-frequency rhythms in imagined limb movements. (2) Self-paced finger tapping task in three healthy subjects including the data set used in the BCI-2003 competition. We show that by selecting electrodes and frequency ranges based on their discriminative power, the classification rates can be systematically improved with respect to results published thus far.
The Murmur of the Sleeping Black Hole: Detection of Nuclear Ultraviolet Variability in LINER Galaxies

LINER nuclei, which are present in many nearby galactic bulges, may be the manifestation of low-rate or low-radiative-efficiency accretion onto supermassive central black holes. However, it has been unclear whether the compact UV nuclear sources present in many LINERs are clusters of massive stars, rather than being directly related to the accretion process. We have used the Hubble Space Telescope to monitor the UV variability of a sample of 17 galaxies with LINER nuclei and compact nuclear UV sources. Fifteen of the 17 galaxies were observed more than once, with two to five epochs per galaxy, spanning up to a year. We detect significant variability in most of the sample, with peak-to-peak amplitudes from a few percent to 50%. In most cases, correlated variations are seen in two independent bands (F250W and F330W). Comparison to previous UV measurements indicates, for many objects, long-term variations by factors of a few over decade timescales. Variability is detected in LINERs with and without detected compact radio cores, in LINERs that have broad Hα wings detected in their optical spectra ("LINER 1s"), and in those that do not ("LINER 2s"). This variability demonstrates the existence of a nonstellar component in the UV continuum of all types and sets a lower limit to the luminosity of this component. Interestingly, all the LINERs that have detected radio cores have variable UV nuclei, as one would expect from bona fide active galactic nuclei. We note a trend in the UV color (F250W/F330W) with spectral type—LINER 1s tend to be bluer than LINER 2s. This trend may indicate a link between the shape of the nonstellar continuum and the presence or the visibility of a broad-line region. In one target, the poststarburst galaxy NGC 4736, we detect variability in a previously noted UV source that is offset by 2. ″5 (~60 pc in projection) from the nucleus. This may be the nearest example of a binary active nucleus and of the process leading to black hole merging.
Implementation of sliding-mode observer combined with aging compensation for improved SOC estimation

This work gives insight to the design and implementation of an improved state-of-charge (SOC) estimation using sliding-mode observer (SMO) combined with aging compensation via recursive least squares (RLS) for a degraded Li-Ion cell. The main advantage of this approach would be low computational load and easiness of implementation along with the robustness of the method for internal battery model parameters used for SOC estimation. This work used as a part of either a Matlab/Simulink model or an integral part of the battery management system (BMS)-micro controller unit (MCU) of STM32F105VC, was verified by the comparison with experimental data of 1.5Ah LiCoO2 degraded cell produced by Samsung SDI.
Productivity Losses due to Coordination: An Empirical Study of Generalists in a Hospital

Professional work often involves generalists who act as hubs, discussing and consulting with specialists to gather information and make decisions. Coordination is critical when tasks, like consultations, require the simultaneous collaboration of multiple people. Professionals typically have their individual tasks that may be preempted to switch to collaborative tasks. Task switching can introduce setup times, often mental and unobservable, when resuming the preempted task and reduce a generalist’s labor productivity. We analyze the productivity loss from coordination in a field study of hospital medicine general physicians– “hospitalists”–at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. A hospitalist’s patient-care routine includes visiting patients and consulting with specialized care professionals to guide patient diagnosis and treatment. We introduce an episodal workflow model that captures the coordination dynamics — each switch and the episode of work it preempts. A rigorous empirical analysis is presented using a data set assembled from direct observation of physician activity and pager-log data. We show that more switches between documentation and communication causally lead to longer documenting time, and that the cause of the switch matters: when the switch is triggered by the hospitalist the setup impact is smaller. We estimate that a hospitalist incurs a total setup time of 5 min per patient per day. This is substantial: Caring for 14 patients per day, a hospitalist spends more than one hour each day on mental setups, which translates to about 20% productivity loss. In contrast to a static snapshot of collaboration, our episodal workflow model could be deployed in other professional settings where resource coordination is paramount.
Negotiating meanings online: Disagreements about word meaning in discussion forum communication

This article describes word meaning negotiation (WMN) in online discussion forum communication, a form of computer-mediated communication (CMC). WMN occurs when participants who are engaged in a discussion about a particular topic remark on a word choice of another participant, thus initiating a meta-linguistic sequence in which a particular word is openly questioned and the meaning of that word is up for negotiation. By closely studying the process of WMN and focusing on the practices of the participants engaged in it, this article empirically explores how situated meaning in concrete utterances is established by participants who are in disagreement about word meaning. Routine ways of entering into a WMN sequence are identified, as well as typical ways of contributing to the negotiation once the discussion has shifted focus from being on topic to being on word meaning. The article highlights the context-sensitivity of word meanings and illustrates how participants engaged in WMN orient toward both semantic properties of the words themselves as well as to relevant aspects of the conversational context.
Fixpoints and Bounded Fixpoints for Complex Objects

We investigate a query language for complex-object databases, which is designed to (1) express only tractable queries, and (2) be as expressive over flat relations as first order logic with fixpoints. The language is obtained by extending the nested relational algebra NRA with a "bounded fixpoint" operator. As in the flat case, all PTime computable queries over ordered databases are expressible in this language. The main result consists in proving that this language is a conservative extension of the first order logic with fixpoints, or of the whilequeries (depending on the interpretation of the bounded fixpoint: inflationary or partial). The proof technique uses indexes, to encode complex objects into flat relations, and is strong enough to allow for the encoding of NRA with unbounded fixpoints into flat relations. We also define a logic based language with fixpoints, the "nested relational calculus", and prove that its range restricted version is equivalent to NRA with bounded fixpoints. Comments University of Pennsylvania Department of Computer and Information Science Technical Report No. MSCIS-93-32. This technical report is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/cis_reports/283 Fixpoints and Bounded Fixpoints for Complex Objects Dan Suciu * Department of Computer and Information Science University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6389 Email: suciu@saul.cis. upenn.edu
Evaluation of dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) as a protein source for broilers

Male broiler chicks (n = 120) were fed diets containing 0, 5, 10 or 15% dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) from the 12th day up to the end of fattening (day 35). During this period feed intake, weight gain and excreta quality (pH, DM) were tested. A digestibility trial was carried out on four birds from each group on the last five days of the experiment to determine the digestibility of organic matter and CP of the different diets. The protein digestibility was evaluated using three different methods; uric acid correction, α-amino-N and amino acid-N. There were no significant effects of increased DDGS levels on feed intake, weight gain, excreta quality or digestibility of CP and organic matter. However, feed conversion showed a tendency to decline at the highest DDGS level (15%). Digestibility of DDGS protein was estimated to be 77%. There was no significant difference between uric acid and α-amino-N method, but both methods had a significantly lower CP digestibility than amino acid-N. The present results indicate that DDGS can be used as a protein source in diets for fattening broilers up to 10–15%.
Three Essays on Contingent Claims Pricing

This dissertation consists of three research topics in contemporary financial option pricing theories and their applications. The common theme of those topics involves the pricing of financial claims whose value become path-dependent when using the usual lattice approximating schemes. The first essay explores the potential of transformation and other schemes in constructing a sequence of simple binomial processes that weakly converges to the desired diffusion limit. Convergence results are established for the valuation of both European and American contingent claims when the underlying asset prices are approximated by simple binomial processes. It is also demonstrated how to construct reflecting or absorbing binomial processes to approximate diffusions with boundaries. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed simple approximations not only converge, but also give more accurate results then existing methods such as Nelson and Ramaswamy (1990), especially for longer maturities. Our purpose in essay 2 is two-fold. First we extend some of the simple lattice-approximation methods for one-dimensional diffusions to higher dimensions and develop special lattices to approximate perfectly correlated diffusions. We then examine current modelling issues of the term structure of interest rates, and demonstrate how to apply the approximation techniques developed here to handle path-dependence and multi-sources of uncertainty in these models. The last essay analyzes the investment decisions of insured banks under fixed-rate deposit insurance. The model takes into account the charter value and allows banks to dynamically revise their asset portfolios. Trade-offs exists between preserving the charter and exploiting deposit insurance. The optimal bank portfolio problem is solved analytically for a constant charter value. In any audit period, banks maximize their risk exposure before some critical time and act cautiously thereafter. The corresponding deposit insurance is shown to be a put option that matures at this critical time rather than at the audit date.
Frequency of fetal macrosomia and the associated risk factors in pregnancies without gestational diabetes mellitus

Introduction There has been an increased incidence of macrosomic newborns in the world and most of the macrosomic newborns are born from non-GDM pregnant women. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and the associated risk factors of fetal macrosomia in non-GDM pregnant women. Methods A total 4246 consequtive pregnant women who had no GDM was included the study population. Data was collected from hospital database of Balikesir State Hospital between January 2014 and January 2015. Statistical analysis was carried out using the independent samples t-test and chi-squared test. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationships between associated risk factors and the presence of fetal macrosomia. In this analysis, fetal macrosomia was taken as the dependent variable and associated risk factors were taken as independent variables. Results are shown as odds ratios (ORs) (95% CI) in the logistic regression analysis. Results 366 of the 4246 pregnant women were diagnosed with fetal macrosomia (8.6%). Compared the control women, a statistically significant correlation between fetal macrosomia and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain (GWG), parity, advanced maternal age, and male fetal sex was found. Maternal BMI, and GWG were the two risk factors most strongly associated with macrosomia. Conclusion The prevalance of fetal macrosomia is rising among Turkish women. High pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG represent main modifiable risk factors for macrosomia and need more attention from health care providers.
Insurance Status Is Associated with Treatment Allocation and Outcomes after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Objective Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a particularly devastating type of stroke which is responsible for one third of all stroke-related years of potential life lost before age 65. Surgical treatment has been shown to decrease both morbidity and mortality after subarachnoid hemorrhage. We hypothesized that payer status other than private insurance is associated with lower allocation to surgical treatment for patients with SAH and worse outcomes. Design We examined the association between insurance type and surgical treatment allocation and outcomes for patients with SAH while adjusting for a wide range of patient and hospital factors. We analyzed the Nationwide Inpatient Sample hospital discharge database using survey procedures to produce weighted estimates representative of the United States population. Patients We studied 21047 discharges, representing a weighted estimate of 102595 patients age 18 and above with a discharge diagnosis of SAH between 2003 and 2008. Measurements Multivariable logistic and generalized linear regression analyses were used to assess for any associations between insurance status and surgery allocation and outcomes. Main Results Despite the benefits of surgery 66% of SAH patients did not undergo surgical treatment to prevent rebleeding. Mortality was more than twice as likely for patients with no surgical treatment compared to those who received surgery. Medicare patients were significantly less likely to receive surgical treatment. Conclusions Nearly two thirds of patients with SAH don't receive operative care, and Medicare patients were significantly less likely to receive surgical treatment than other patients. Bias against the elderly and those with chronic illness and disability may play a part in these findings. A system of regionalized care for patients presenting with SAH may reduce disparities and improve appropriate allocation to surgical care and deserves prospective study.