Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Scenario Context and Question Order influence WTP? The Application of a Model of Uncertain WTP to the Contingent Valuation of the Morbidity Impacts of Air Pollution

This paper presents a general framework for modelling responses to contingent valuation questions when respondents are uncertain about their ‘true’ WTP. These models are applied to a contingent valuation data set recording respondents’ WTP to avoid episodes of ill-health. Two issues are addressed. First, whether the order in which a respondent answers a series of contingent valuation questions influences their WTP. Second, whether the context in which a good is valued (in this case the information the respondent is given concerning the cause of the ill-health episode or the policy put into place to avoid that episode) influences respondents’ WTP. The results of the modelling exercise suggest that neither valuation order nor the context included in the valuation scenario impact on the precision with which respondents answer the contingent valuation questions. Similarly, valuation order does not appear to influence the mean or median WTP of the sample. In contrast, it is shown that in some cases, the inclusion of richer context significantly shifts both the mean and median WTP of the sample. This result has implications for the application of benefits transfer. Since, WTP to avoid an episode of ill-health cannot be shown to be independent of the context in which it is valued, the validity of transferring benefits of avoided ill-health episodes from one policy context to another must be called into question.
Business Process Management Winter Term 2006/2007

The vision of a service marketplace is to establish business relations between service consumers and providers in a Service-oriented Architecture (SOA). However, in more complex scenarios there is often a mismatch between business protocols, i.e. the course of interaction that is taken to deliver certain functionality. In order to close this gap and address the widest range of potential consumers, a provider must adapt its service interfaces to consumer demands. This document is based on previous work in the area of service interface adaptation. It presents a particular approach, which is augmented with semantics to enable a certain degree of automation. At the end it also gives reasons, why a full automation is hard to realize.
JCB_200811138 235..250

The Rockefeller University Press $30.00 J. Cell Biol. Vol. 185 No. 2 235–249 www.jcb. org/cgi/doi/10.1083/jcb.200811138 JCB 235 Correspondence to Claudio Sette: claudio.sette@uniroma2.it; or Stéphane Richard: Stephane.Richard@mcgill.ca Maria Paola Paronetto’s present address is Centre de Regulaciò Genomica, Barcelona 08003, Spain. Abbreviations used in this paper: ANOVA, analysis of variance; dpp, days postpartum; ERK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase; IPA, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis; OA, okadaic acid; RBP, RNA-binding protein; RNP, ribonucleoprotein; STAR, signal transduction and activation of RNA; UTR, untranslated region. Introduction
Metabolic Effects of Dissolved Aspartame in the Mouth before Meals in Prediabetic Patients; a Randomized Controlled Cross- Over Study

In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, incretin axes play an important role in terms of progressive beta abnormalities. It was found that enteroendocrin cells in the small bowel have T1R2 and T1R3 taste receptors. Artificial sweeteners and glucose have significant effects on secretion of GLP-1 and GIP hormones from intestine. Recent research studies worked on healthy people showed that glucose triggers release of these hormones by the taste receptors in the L cells. The aim of this study was evaluation of the metabolic effects of dissolved aspartame in the mouth taken before meals in prediabetic patients. This cross-over study was done in Akdeniz University, Endocrinology and Metabolism Unit. 54 prediabetic patients were included to this study. Patients were randomly separated to two groups. At the beginning of the study, patients interviewed with specialized diabetes dietitians. The first group was initiated with diet for three months and continued with diet and aspartame during second three months. Diet and aspartame were started in the second group for the first three months. Aspartame was discontinued after three months and patients continued with only diet during the second three months. Two tablets of aspartame (1 tablet equal to 18 mg) before meals were taken by dissolving on the tongue.In the two groups weight, height, BMI, waist circumference, fasting and postprandial blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fructosamine, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin were evaluated at 0, 3 and 6 months. In the first group, diet was found effective on losing weight at the end of the third month. After aspartame was added, weight loss continued till the end of the 6 month. In the second group, weight loss was detected with aspartame and diet during the first three months. However; in the second three months, weight gain occurred after aspartame was discontinued. Both groups were compared regarding weight loss in the first and second period. Weight loss in the first group was greater than in the second group during second period (p=0.027). The changes in the other parameters were not found significantly different.
Multi-Task cGAN for Simultaneous Spaceborne DSM Refinement and Roof-Type Classification

Various deep learning applications benefit from multi-task learning with multiple regression and classification objectives by taking advantage of the similarities between individual tasks. This can result in improved learning efficiency and prediction accuracy for the task-specific models compared to separately trained models. In this paper, we make an observation of such influences for important remote sensing applications like elevation model generation and semantic segmentation tasks from the stereo half-meter resolution satellite digital surface models (DSMs). Mainly, we aim to generate good-quality DSMs with complete, as well as accurate level of detail (LoD)2-like building forms and to assign an object class label to each pixel in the DSMs. For the label assignment task, we select the roof type classification problem to distinguish between flat, non-flat, and background pixels. To realize those tasks, we train a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN) with an objective function based on least squares residuals and an auxiliary term based on normal vectors for further roof surface refinement. Besides, we investigate recently published deep learning architectures for both tasks and develop the final end-to-end network, which combines different models, as using them first separately, they provide the best results for their individual tasks.
Lung Nodule Retrieval by Integrating Local Binary Pattern with Template Matching

This paper focuses on the use of local binary pattern (LBP) in template matching for nodule retrieval from CT lung images. Existing local binary pattern operators uses the features of LBP to train the classifiers for the classification of lung nodules, here LBP method is used for the extraction of features from lung nodule images. In this work, LBP method is applied on both the lung images as well as on nodule templates to extract LBP features. The resulting features are compared to extract the cancerous nodules. Experiments are performed on the lung data sets collected from LIDC database. The results show that use of LBP features in template matching yields better accuracy rate as compared to the literature.
Effective language in study guides at a distance learning institution: Bridging the gap between the academic and non-academic cultures

This article explores the role of effective language in study guides in bridging the gap between the academic culture represented by lecturers and the non-academic culture represented by students at a distance learning institution (DLI). The study guide has to facilitate the student in the world of a new and sometimes intimidating culture, namely the (tertiary) academic culture. When lecturers write for students, they must have an understanding of the challenges facing distance learning students and write in clear, accessible language. There is little or no face-to-face contact between lecturers and students at a DLI, and teaching takes place mainly by means of printed study material, specifically study guides. However, many students may have trouble understanding the type of language used in study material – essentially, academic language – sometimes because lecturers may not have an understanding of the challenges faced by students at a DLI and/or because they are used to writing in a formal, academic style, which is often not easily accessible to first-year students. The aim of the article is thus to identify the linguistic criteria to which a successful study guide for L2 speakers of English should adhere. In the research conducted for this study, a number of linguistic criteria for effective study guides were identified. These criteria were extracted from literature on effective writing/teaching in general, then discussed briefly in terms of their relevance for the specific purpose of writing effective study guides. Finally, these criteria were applied to critically evaluate the language used in three study guides used at a DLI.
Serum AChE Activities Predict Exercise Heart Rate Parameters of Asymptomatic Individuals

Background specific heart rate parameters notably associate with variable risks of cardiovascular disease and mortality, however, to date there are no readily available blood tests associated with these parameters. Because of the established parasympathetic contributions towards cardiac regulation, we challenged the working hypothesis that serum acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity is involved. Methods A total of 403 Healthy men and women were included in the study and underwent treadmill exercise testing. Prior to exercise testing the subject’s serum AChE activity levels were assessed by measuring rates of acetylthiocholine hydrolysis. Results In male subjects AChE activity was positively correlated to resting heart rate (r = 0.210, p = 0.001). Complementing this observation, AChE activity was negatively correlated to the exercise-induced heart rate increase (r = –0.181, p = 0.005) and to heart rate recovery at 1, 2 and 5 minutes following cessation of exercise (r = –0.150, p = 0.022; r = –0.157, p = 0.016; r = –0.176, p = 0.008 respectively). This indicated that lower than average AChE activities, which presumably reflect increased peripheral ACh levels, might be correlated to favorable heart rate parameters. Similar observations were made in female subjects, except for lack of correlation to their resting heart rate. Additionally, we observed that we were able to stratify subjects into two groups of significantly different AChE activity (p = 0.001) based on a cut point of heart rate recovery below 20 beats one minute after cessation of exercise. Conclusion In asymptomatic individuals lower than average AChE activity is associated with favorable indices of exercise-inducible heart rate increase as well as heart rate recovery. Future studies will be needed to evaluate the added prognostic significance gained by implementing this marker into routine practice.
Preferred climates for tourism: case studies from Canada, New Zealand and Sweden.

Climate has an important influence on the travel decisions of tourists. This paper reviews the distinct lines of inquiry that have been used to examine the influence of climate on tourist decision making, and attempts to define optimal climatic conditions for tourism. The study examined tourist perceptions of optimal climatic conditions (for temperature, sunshine, wind) and the relative importance of 4 climatic parameters (temperature, precipitation, sunshine, wind) in 3 major tourism environments (beach-coastal, urban, mountains). A survey instrument was administered to university students (n = 831) representing the young-adult travel segment, in 3 countries (Canada, New Zealand, Sweden). Three salient findings include: significant variation in the perceived optimum cli- matic conditions for the 3 major tourism environments, differences in the relative importance of the 4 climatic parameters in the 3 tourism environments, and similarities as well as differences in the cli- matic preferences of respondents from the 3 nations. These findings have several implications for the literature on climate and tourism, including the development of climate indices for tourism, des- tination choice and travel pattern modelling, and climate change impact assessments. When applied to a broader cross-cultural sample of tourist segments, the present approach could potentially reveal the complexities of tourist preferences for climate.
Translation and Validation of Telugu Version of Marital Satisfaction Scale (T-MSS)

Introduction: Interest in studying marriage-related issues has increased in recent years. Researchers have demonstrated a constant decrease in marital satisfaction over time in married couples. Marital Satisfaction Scale (MSS) can be used to examine how marital satisfaction affects couple’s well-being; A MSS was developed in Pakistan showing good reliability and internal consistency. Objevctive: Present study aimed to translate and validate MSS to Telugu (T-MSS) language. Methods: Present study implemented standard methodology for Translation, Adaptation and Validation of instruments for use in cross-cultural healthcare research along with World health organization process of translation and adaptation of instruments. Results: 141 first-married individuals participated in the present study to assess validity, internal consistency and reliability. Cronbach alpha (α) of T-MSS was 0.863 demonstrating good validity and internal consistency, Pearson product moment coefficient of correlation (r) was found to be 0.845 and Cohen's kappa (κ) was found to be 0.759 demonstrating good test-retest reliability. Conclusion: T-MSS is a useful tool in Telugu language demonstrating good reliability and internal consistency. It can be utilized in diverse settings like social and clinical research to assess various factors related to marital satisfaction.
A qualidade do acolhimento residencial em Portugal: avaliação da adequação dos serviços às necessidades das crianças e jovens institucionalizados

O acolhimento residencial (AR) e, em Portugal, a principal medida de colocacaoextrafamiliar, representando 87% das criancas e jovens em acolhimento. Os escassos estudossobre a qualidade do AR nacional nao permitiram ate agora conhecer as reais necessidadesdas criancas e jovens acolhidos e o modo como os recursos e servicos disponibilizados pelascasas de AR lhes dao resposta, tornando imperativa a sua investigacao.Analisam-se os conceitos de acolhimento residencial e de qualidade neste contexto e erealizado um levantamento da realidade atual do AR em Portugal.Foram visitadas 74 casas de AR no âmbito de uma investigacao nacional visandoavaliar a qualidade do sistema de AR portugues com recurso ao ARQUA-P. Participaramneste estudo 841 criancas e jovens e 510 cuidadores, 72 diretores tecnicos e 73 tecnicos deacompanhamento na entidade tutelar.A fim de aferir o nivel de ajustamento psicologico (AP), autoestima (AE), satisfacaocom a vida (SCV) e bem-estar pessoal (BEP) e vivenciados pelos adolescentes ai acolhidos,estes completaram o SDQ, RSES/EAR, SWLS/ESCV e PWB/IBP.Os resultados revelaram que todos os participantes e tambem os investigadores/peritosavaliaram de forma positiva a qualidade total e apenas os investigadores/peritos avaliaramalgumas 'dimensoes' negativamente. Foram encontradas correlacoes e associacoessignificativas entre a avaliacao da qualidade do AR realizada pelos diferentes participantes oupelos investigadores/peritos e variaveis contextuais (e.g. dimensao da casa) e caracteristicasindividuais de cada tipo de participante (e.g. sexo). AE, SCV e BEP estao significativamenteabaixo dos valores encontrados na populacao normativa correspondente. Algumas dimensoesdo ARQUA-P avaliadas pelos adolescentes mostraram correlacoes significativas positivascom as medidas de AP: SCV, BEP e com a AE. As criancas e jovens em acolhimentoavaliaram o contexto de AR onde vivem mais positivamente que os cuidadores, diretorestecnicos, tecnicos de acompanhamento na entidade tutelar e investigadores/peritos. Foramidentificados como principais preditores da Qualidade Total, as Casas de Acolhimento seremmistas, terem supervisao e o seu clima afetivo, com este ultimo a revelar-se o principalpreditor. Implicacoes para futuras investigacoes e para a intervencao em AR sao discutidas.
THE CHANGING CONTEXT OF MANAGING PEOPLE Series

Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop and empirically examine a model of cloud-based human resource information systems (HRIS) adoption by small businesses based on the technology organization environment model (Tornatzky & Fleischer, 1990). Methodology/approach This study utilized a survey of 41 smallto medium-sized enterprises in the northeastern United States to examine what HR functions were being supported by cloud-based HRIS and the relationship between three technology factors, three organizational factors, and
The Effects of Road Geometry on the Injury Severity of Expressway Traffic Accident Depending on Weather Conditions

도로기하구조는 교통사고를 발생시키는 다양한 요인 중 하나이지만, 동일한 도로기하구조 조건하에서도 기상상태에 따라 교통사고에 미치는 영향이 다르게 나타난다. 본 연구에서는 2001년부터 2014년까지 14년간 전국 고속도로 사고자료와 기상자료를 매칭하여 교통사고 심 각도에 영향을 미치는 변수들을 분석하였다. 도로기하구조와 기상상태의 상호작용이 사고심 각도에 미치는 영향뿐만 아니라, 개별사고 심각도 간의 지역별 상관성을 반영하기 위해 위계 적 순서형 모형을 사용하였다. 위계적 모형 중에서도 도로기하구조와 기상상태의 상호작용 변 수를 포함한 임의절편모형과 기상상태의 지역별 특성을 상위변수로 포함하는 임의계수모형을 모두 활용하였다. 분석결과 톨게이트 및 램프구간, 내리막 경사 3%이상, 콘크리트 방호벽 등이 기상상태에 따라 사고 심각도에 미치는 영향이 달라지는 것을 확인하였다. 또한 도로기하구조 와 기상상태의 복합적인 영향은 강우량 또는 강설량에 선형적이지 않을 수 있음을 보여주었 다. 끝으로 본 연구의 분석결과를 기반으로 안전개선 대책을 제시하였으며, 이를 토대로 향후 교통사고 심각도 감소가 가능할 것으로 기대된다.
Investigating the effects of personal entrepreneurial characteristics

Article history: Received October 28, 2013 Received in revised format 25 November 2013 Accepted 22 January 2014 Available online January 25 2014 This paper presents an empirical investigation to study the impacts of personal entrepreneurial characteristics including “Need to succeed”, “Idea fluency” and “Pragmatism” among students who were enrolled in different fields at Islamic Azad University of Zanjan, Iran. Using a standard questionnaire, which is modified for Iranian culture, the study measures the effects of three factors. The results of Kolmogorov-Smirnov indicate that all three variables of the survey were normally distributed. The results of t-student test for “Need to succeed” is equal to 28.623 with df = 349 and Sig. = 0.000, which is statistically significant. In addition, t-student test for “Idea fluency” is equal to 16.124 with df = 349 and Sig. = 0.000, which is also statistically significant. Finally, the results of t-student test for “Pragmatism” is equal to 31.255 with df = 349 and Sig. = 0.000, which is statistically significant. The findings indicate that the participants hold relatively high level of personal entrepreneurial characteristics.
A switching multi-level method for the long tail recommendation problem

© 2019 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved. Recommender systems are decision support systems that play an important part in generating a list of product or service recommendations for users based on the past experiences and interactions. The most popular recommendation method is Collaborative Filtering (CF) that is based on the users' rating history to generate the recommendation. Although, recommender systems have been applied successfully in different areas such as e-Commerce and Social Networks, the popularity bias is still one of the challenges that needs to be further researched. Therefore, we propose a multi-level method that is based on a switching approach which solves the long tail recommendation problem (LTRP) when CF fails to find the target case. We have evaluated our method using two public datasets and the results show that it outperforms a number of bases lines and state-of-the-art alternatives with a further reduce of the recommendation error rates for items found in the long tail.
The impact of sexual self-esteem on sexual risk detection in college women

i List of Figures iii List of Tables iiii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: Method 11 2.1 Participants 11 2.2 Measures 11 2.3 Procedure 13 Chapter 3: Results 13 Chapter 4: Discussion 18 List of References 26
Farm environment, farmer knowledge and technical efficiency: An investigation among upland corn farmers in Bukidnon, Philippines

Using a panel data (1994-1999) of upland corn farmers’ production and soil conservation practices, this paper investigates the influence of farmers’ technical and ecological knowledge on their technical efficiency (TE). TE was derived from two types of translog production frontiers where the first equation did not include environmental factors as independent variables and the second did. In the first function, it was assumed that the farms faced the same environment thus, it measures production efficiency as influenced by both management and environment. In the second function, farms are assumed to face different environmental conditions, thus, measuring the technical efficiency due to crop management alone. The difference between the two efficiency measures of farms would then account for the influence of environmental factors. To assess factors affecting technical efficiency ratings, an OLS function was estimated where the independent variables included farmer attributes including his/her ecological and technical knowledge ratings. The knowledge ratings were derived from the respondents’ scores in a knowledge test conducted by the researchers in 1999. Results of the study showed that on the average, the technical efficiency of farms with and without consideration of the environmental factors were 49.6 % and 45.2%, respectively. The difference of 4.4 % can be attributed to the influence of environment to production efficiency. Crop management accounts for 50.4% of technical inefficiencies. Farmers’ TE was significantly explained by the following: a) average education of the farmer and her/his spouse; b) family labor force; c) distance of the farm from the national road; and d) the farmers’ technical knowledge. The ecological knowledge of farmers did not yield significant results although this was found to be positively affecting TE.