Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plantar flexor muscles asymmetry and their lower strength is maybe related to development of low back pain during prolonged standing

Purpose: Research has shown that there are some risk factors for creating and developing low back pain with prolonged standing. For attempt to recognition of predisposing factors to development of LBP during prolonged standing, the purpose of this study was to investigate to maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) at selected groups of muscles and some of the psychological aspects in back-healthy subjects who developed LBP during prolonged standing. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 25 back-healthy subjects and 14 chronic nonspecific LBP completed anxiety inventory (STAI), Tampa Scale for kinesiophobia (TSK) and pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) questionnaires. Dynamometer was used to assess MVC of the selected groups of muscles. Finally back-healthy subjects get tested for 2 h prolonged standing protocol and based on a visual analog scale (VAS) were categorized as pain developers (PD) or non-pain developers (NPD). Results: Ten subjects (% 40) with developing pain were categorized as PD. There were no significant difference at psychological aspects between three groups of PD, NPD and LBP had. But analysis of MVC showed PD and LBP groups had less MVC at the left plantar flexors than left plantar flexors of the NPD group. Also PD and LBP groups had significantly more between two sides asymmetry at MVC at the plantar flexors compared to NPD group. Conclusion: This preliminary data suggests less MVC and asymmetry of MVC at plantar flexor muscles maybe related to development of the LBP during prolonged standing in the back-healthy peoples. Future study is needed to investigate other function of plantar flexors and their probably relations to development of LBP during prolonged standing.
My Personal Computer Lab: Operating in the "Cloud"

The rising costs of maintaining current computer hardware and software strains universities and its students making access to current technologies and relevant applications difficult. Virtualization has provided an innovative solution. We describe our experience with a pilot deployment of a virtual computer laboratory at a medium sized public university. The virtual computer laboratory pilot is a technology transfer of the virtual computer laboratory developed by North Carolina State University. The technology provides scalable, high performance computing resources requested through an internet browser and accessed through either a remote desktop connection or ssh client. This paper includes a brief review of virtualization, a review of instructional uses of virtualization, a description of “cloud” computing, the North Carolina State University implementation history, our pilot experience and lessons learned.
A Graphical Tool for the Creation of Behaviors in Virtual Worlds

Typically, the creation of AI-based behaviors for Non-Playing Characters (NPC) in computer games is carried out by people with specialized skills in the broad areas of design and programming. This book chapter presents Second Mind (SM), a digital solution that makes it possible for novice users to successfully author behaviors. In SM, authors can use a graphical interface to define the behaviors of virtual characters in response to interactions with players. Authors can easily endow NPCs with behavior capabilities that make them act in different possible roles such as e.g. shopkeepers, museum hosts, etc. A series of user tests with human subjects to evaluate the behavior authoring process shows that Second Mind is easy to understand and simplifies the process of behavior production.
The exotic nature of ideophones – from Khoekhoe to Xhosa

The present paper analyzes the exoticness of Khoekhoe-sourced ideophones as a possible factor that stimulated the introduction of certain phonological novelties to the sound system of Xhosa. Having analyzed Khoekhoe-sourced ideophones of Xhosa for five exotic features postulated crosslinguistically (aberrant sounds and configurations of sounds, length, tones and harmony), the author concludes the following: due to their intense phonological exoticness and the crosslinguistic propensity for unaltered borrowing, Khoekhoe-sourced ideophones may have played a relevant role in the Khoekhoe-Xhosa transfer. The efficiency of this transfer seems to be correlated with the frequency of a given exotic feature in the donor Khoekhoe lexemes.
Implementation of OFDM receiver using rotating circular array antenna for vehicle communications

In high-speed mobile OFDM communication systems, the receiving characteristics are degraded badly by channel time variation. Our solution is to rotate a circular array antenna so as to decrease the speed of the receiving antenna relative to the ground. Moreover, the BER characteristics with the parameters of ISDB-T, which are a standard of Japanese digital terrestrial television broadcasting, were used in prior research to evaluate the performance of concept. Past studies indicated that the rotating circular array antenna is effective in high-speed mobile OFDM communications. However, the composition of an OFDM receiver with rotating circular array antenna was not fully elucidated. We conduct fundamental research on receiver construction. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of the OFDM receiver with rotating circular array antenna, that employs error correction decoding. Additionally, we improve the performance of rotation speed control method by using a moving average filter. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method by using the parameters of ISDB-T Mode3.
Large-scale integration in tablet screens for blue-light reduction with optimized color: The effects on sleep, sleepiness, and ocular parameters

Abstract We investigated sleep quality and visual symptoms in 30 adults who spent two hours before bedtime using a tablet device with and without the advanced technology of large-scale integration for blue-light reduction and color management. Dry eye- and eye fatigue-related symptom scores were significantly better with than without blue-light reduction. Sleepiness and saliva melatonin during the task were greater with blue-light reduction, however, overnight melatonin secretion and sleep quality parameters were similar in both conditions. In conclusion, tablet devices using large-scale integration for blue-light reduction increased sleepiness and reduced eye fatigue and dryness during tasks before bedtime.
The Defense of Monopoly as a Determinant of the Process of Transformation of State-Owned Infrastructure Sectors in Poland

This paper aims to prove that during the transformation process in Poland of the sectors of general economic interests due to specific economic characteristics of those sectors and the fact that interests of three groups participating in the decision making in this process: government, management and employees turned out being non controversial prevented loosing the monopoly status they initially enjoyed. The method used was the analysis of the stages of negotiation illustrated by subsequent documents of official strategies chosen for three sectors: railway, electricity and the final result illustrated by the structure of the market. Preventing the monopoly status permitted those groups seeking the rent, the monopoly status created or even demand that rent in the form of subsidy from the public authorities budgets by the threat of the strike which is the grave threat in the sectors delivering the service of general economic interest.
The Determinants of Non Banking Financial Institutions Profitability

This paper is focused on the development of Non-Banking Financial Institutions and the role and importance of their growing on Albanian Financial System . The role and the importance they have in the Albanian economy are great for the fact that most of them have the mission of self-employment growth and welfare in urban and rural areas. The financial performance of a financial institution essentially depends on several key financial factors. Factors that are taken in the study are: Loans / Total Assets; Loan Provisions / Total Loan ratio; Liabilities / Assets ratio; Operating expenses / Operating income and the Size of each institution. The most important variable, which affects more the ROE, is the Loans / Assets ratio, normally increasing the assets of an institution, increase the basis for the granting of loans and consequently the lending interest income. The second variable is the most important; with a high impact on the dependent variable is the ratio of operating expenses / operating income, followed later by the ratio liabilities / assets. Different statistical techniques such as regression and correlation were used to determine relationships between variables taken into consideration as well as the dependent variable impact on ROE. This research is an attempt to find out how many variables are statistically significant and what their impact on net profit of these institutions is. Keywords: ROE, Non Banking Institutions, Profitability JEl Code: G21; G33; E44;
M-Eco enhanced Adaptation Service (D5.2)

In this report, we present the improvements of the Adaptive Tuning and Personalization (WP5) component of the M-Eco system. This component is focused on four main areas of interest to users of surveillance systems: presentation options for recommendation and adaptation, user and group models, user classification and modeling algorithms, and recommendation, adaptation and personalization strategies. In each of these areas, we propose new methods and improvements over those presented in the previous deliverable. For example, we extend the user profiling with the user’s stated preferences for a set of locations and we propose new approaches for recommendations to groups and navigation through documents using tags. The extensions and new methods address diverse aspects of the M-Eco system such as motivation scenarios, configuration management, formal models, implementations and some real use case scenarios on how personalization can be applied to support medical surveillance. The result of personalization can be seen, for example, as a reordering on the ranking of recommendations or search results or a personalized tag cloud leading users to quick access the information fulfilling the users interests. The main contributions of the report are spatial reasoning methods evaluated in group recommendations, personalized tag clouds, and web services integration. Keyword List social tagging, recommender system, tag cloud, group recommendation M-Eco:247829 Deliverable No:D5.1
Competition, Kinship or Reciprocity? Village Experiments in Alternative Modes of Exchange

In this paper, detailed data on transactions in a village commodity market are used to explain the puzzle of sluggish agricultural supply response. We show that existence of reciprocity among sellers exhibits multiple equilibria and creates trade diversion. Large volumes of the commodity are sold to a trader who does not offer the best price, but on whom sellers depend through transactions in other markets. An implication of this trader-idiosyncratic effect on supply is that policies that affect prices may result in different supply responses.
An Economic Analysis of Salinity Problems in the Mahaweli River System H Irrigation Scheme in Sri Lanka

Salinity problems are primarily associated with coastal areas and irrigated lands in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, where the total irrigated area is about 0.5 million hectares. Since irrigation has been practiced in these areas from ancient times, salinity might have been a problem at least in patches of irrigated lands. With the development of modern irrigation networks, it is anticipated that salinity would become a problem over the years as in many other countries. Only a few systematic studies exist on the soil salinization problem in Sri Lanka, and there are no records of the actual extent of lands affected by salinity, or data that indicate its trend. Most of the available information comes from sporadic surveys. Recently, however, concerns were expressed that most of the large-scale projects would face salinity problems. Due to the inadequacy of related studies, the actual extent of the problem, both in economic and environmental terms, is unknown in Sri Lanka. This study focused primarily on the problem of soil salinity in the Mahaweli irrigation scheme. The Mahaweli project is one of the largest irrigation projects in South East Asia. This study attempted to measure the impact of soil salinization on rice production and on the environment. It also assessed the optimal control of salinity at the farm and project level for better water management and environmental protection.
Patterns of color phase indicate spawn timing at a Nassau grouper Epinephelus striatus spawning aggregation

Nassau grouper Epinephelus striatus are a large bodied, top level predator that is ecologically important throughout the Caribbean. Although typically solitary, Nassau grouper form large annual spawning aggregations at predictable times in spe- cific locations. In 2003, The Cayman Islands Marine Conservation Board established protection for a newly rediscovered Nassau grouper spawning aggregation on Little Cayman, British West Indies. The large size of this aggregation provides a unique oppor- tunity to study the behavior of Nassau grouper on a relatively intact spawning aggregation. During non-spawning periods Nassau grouper display a reddish-brown-and-white barred coloration. However, while aggregating they exhibit three additional color phases: "bicolor", "dark", and "white belly". We video sampled the population on multiple days leading up to spawning across five spawning years. Divers focused a laser caliper equipped video camera on individual fish at the aggregation. We later ana- lyzed the video to determine the length of the fish and record the color phase. Our observations show that the relative proportion of fish in the bicolor color phase increases significantly on the day leading up to the primary night of spawning. The increase in the proportion of the bicolor color phase from 0.05 early in the aggregation to 0.40 on the day of spawning suggests that this color phase conveys that a fish is behaviorally and physiologically prepared to spawn. Additionally, 82.7% of fish exhibiting dark or white belly coloration early in the aggregation period suggests that these color phases are not only shown by female fish as was previously posited (Current Zoology 58 (1): 73-83, 2012). Keywords Nassau grouper, Epinephelus striatus, Spawning aggregation, Nuptial coloration, Spawning behavior
Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars Migration from the Central of the Milky Way Galaxy to our Sun’s Birthplace and its Relation with Silicon Carbide Grains

Silicon carbide grains found in meteorites are peculiar in their age and isotopic ratios; they formed before the Sun was born and their isotopic signature indicates that they come from a different galactic region. This study aims to seek a possible paradigm for such richness and peculiarity through Monte Carlo simulation of scattering of Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars off molecular cloud. Such approach randomly generates AGB stars in regions close to the Galaxy bulge and examines possibility of migration to outer regions by scattering off molecular cloud. A successful explanation to this problem will influence how we think nuclides were formed and then distributed in the Galaxy and will shed new light unto the age and the chemical evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy. Thus, it is important that we know where do they come from and how do they end up in our backyard?
Virtual sensor models for real-time applications

Abstract. Increased complexity and severity of future driver assistance systems demand extensive testing and validation. As supplement to road tests, driving simulations offer various benefits. For driver assistance functions the perception of the sensors is crucial. Therefore, sensors also have to be modeled. In this contribution, a statistical data-driven sensor-model, is described. The state-space based method is capable of modeling various types behavior. In this contribution, the modeling of the position estimation of an automotive radar system, including autocorrelations, is presented. For rendering real-time capability, an efficient implementation is presented.
Securing the Peace after a Truce in the War on Inflation

Central bankers in the major industrial economies have come close to securing the peace, or in some cases, have secured it in the battle against inflation, hostilities that lasted almost as long as the Cold War. It is important to remember that this battle has been a good fight: both the theory and the empirics reviewed in this paper support the central tenet of central banking that lower inflation supports faster economic growth. However, the observation that low inflation is associated with a macroeconomic benefit does not imply that disinflation should be pursued without limit. A particularly compelling argument in the body of work on the optimal inflation rate is the view that price deflation, or even very low inflation, may pose unacceptable macroeconomic risks given the lower bound of nominal interest rates of zero. Empirical work in this paper suggests that the zero bound is not an artifact of theoreticians but a palpable reality. That said, the perils of the zero bound to nominal interest rates may be seen as less threatening if a central bank is willing to be both aggressive in providing policy accommodation when the economy may be nearing the zero bound and flexible in using the available tools of policy.
The phenomenon of synaesthesia in phantom limbs — therapeutic treatment

Phantom pains, appearing as a consequence of the amputation of a limb, have their source in the work of human brain. Many authors claim that the development and intensification of these sensations are connected to the neuroplasticity of the brain. Difficulties in the estimation of the circumstances, as well as patients’ ineffective attempts to palliate the pain, make the problem a vitally important issue. Pharmacotherapy is still a dominant and popular form of treatment. This paper serves to describe the causes of phantom pains and to discuss the possible treatment techniques, namely physiotherapy and unconventional therapeutic methods. The effectiveness of physiotherapy depends mainly on the accurate choice of the physiotherapeutic method or concrete treatment. The reactions of tissues to a stimulus and the obtaining desirable reaction of the human organism allow for achieving proper homeostasis and limiting pain. There are many areas of medicine where physiotherapy has proved to be successful, and its usefulness in the management of the phantom sensations should be also assessed.
What Motivates Giving in the Field

Why do people give to charity? We present a model of charitable giving that allows for two types of motivation: individuals like to give, e.g., due to altruism or warm glow, or individuals would rather not give but dislike saying no, e.g., due to social pressure. To distinguish the two types of motivation, we design a door-to-door fund-raising drive in which we vary the ability of households to seek or avoid a solicitor. Some households are informed about the exact time of solicitation with a flyer on the door-knob; thus, they can seek the fund-raiser if giving is welfare-enhancing, and avoid it if giving is welfaredecreasing. We find that i) the notice on the door-knob reduces the share of households opening the door by 10 to 25 percent, suggesting that the average household seeks to avoid fund-raisers; (ii) the basic notice does not reduce giving, but a notice that allows to check a box for ‘Do Not Disturb’ reduces giving by 30 percent; (iii) the latter decrease is concentrated among donations smaller than $10. These findings suggest that both types of motivation affect charitable giving, with more evidence supporting the social pressure explanation. We also conduct an additional field experiment where we vary the payment and duration for completing a survey. We combine the results from both experiments to structurally estimate altruism and social pressure parameters.
Assessment of climatically suitable area for Syrmaticus reevesii under climate change

Global climate change is one of the major threats to biodiversity. Global warming caused by the excess emission of greenhouse gases affects the distribution and physiology of species, and threatens their survival. Thus, predicting and evaluating the consequences of changing climates on species’ distributions is important for biodiversity conservation. The goal of our study was to assess the influence of future climate scenarios on the extent and geographic location of climatically suitable areas for Reeves’s pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii, a species endemic to China, using geographic information systems and ecological niche modeling techniques. We compared model prediction under present climate with the species’ historical range and land-cover data, both of which enable a plausible assessment of present-day climatically suitable areas for the species. The areas predicted suitable under future climates showed differences among emission scenarios, but several common trends emerged. Specifically, our results indicated that future climatically suitable area for S. reevesii would decrease and shift to higher altitudes, and the geographic centroids of the climatically suitable areas would mainly move northwest. Additionally, we assessed future changes of climatically suitable areas in the nature reserves where S. reevesii is known to occur, and provided suggestions for conserving the species under climate change scenarios.
A Comparison of Random Normal Scores Test under the F and Chi-Square Distributions to the 2x2x2 ANOVA Test

The use of the parametric ANOVA Test when the underlying population is non-normally distributed is a violation of the test's assumption of normality. Alternatives include the use of nonparametric procedures. However, to date, useful procedures have not been developed to detect interactions, especially those of the higher order. Based on the rank transform, the Random Normal Scores Test has been suggested as a powerful alternative to the ANOVA Test. The major support rests upon asymptotic theory. This study is an empirical analysis of the Random Normal Scores Test performed under the F and Chi-square distributions. In the balanced 2x2x2 layout, for various population distributions, sample sizes, and nominal alpha levels selected, the Random Normal Scores Testswere shown to be non-robust and not powerful alternatives to the ANOVA Test. Researchers in education and related disciplines have long been concerned by the existence of non-normally distributed variables (Bradley, 1968, 1977; Blair, 1981; Bloom, 1984; and Walberg, Strykowski, Rovai, and Hurg, 1984). This concern is with using parametric procedures that have been derived under the assumption of population normality on variables that are non~normally distributed. Instead, when testing hypotheses of shift in location parameter, researchers have advocated the use of nonparametrics. The advantage of nonparametric tests is that they do not make the assumption that the data