Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Designing Digital Applications to Promote Physical Activity and Healthy Eatingamong Young Population

The study by Grieben et al. [1] recruited 36 young office workers to discuss the design points for interventions using digital technology for promoting physical activity (PA) and healthy eating. One of the major concerns regarding the use of digital applications is to sustain user engagement over time [2-4]. A conclusion of the aforementioned study emphasizes that providing users with feedback is an effective strategy for users’ engagement to take into consideration in the design phase. We totally agree with their results showing that tailored feedback can contribute to raising users’ engagement in PA. We previously showed similar results in a study targeting training platforms to promote wellness, self-care and PA in the home setting [5]. Participants in several studies reported feeling more motivated when using a digital application that can provide both performance information and an action plan for improvement. However, including feedback systems in digital applications may not always have a positive outcome, especially if the feedback does not match well to the users’ performance or if it is not accurate enough. Recent studies point that real-time feedback, or feedback provided as soon as possible have a more positive impact in users than delayed feedback [6,7]. Planning the type, frequency and amount of feedback to provide may be a challenge for engaging different users in PA. Determining how the feedback is going to be communicated is also a key factor to consider when designing the interfaces of this kind of interventions. This is one reason among many that justifies the need of high interdisciplinary teams (high number of disciplines included in the team’s member background) to design and implement this kind of interventions. Historically, digital technology has been designed by teams of mainly technologists. However, technology is a tool that drives all other important aspects of the intervention. In our experience, including practitioners, artists and sociologists among other researchers resulted in a more efficient design of the solution from several points of view, which also integrates important elements of behavioral theory.
Design of a Three Degrees of Freedom Robotic Arm

This paper concerns with the design of a three degrees of freedom robotic arm, which is intended to pick and place lightweight objects based on a color sorting mechanism. It is mainly made of three joints, a gripper, two rectangular shaped links, a rotary table and a rectangular platform. The angular rotation of each joint is powered by a servomotor. Furthermore, the angular position of each servomotor shaft is controlled by a signal from an Arduino microcontroller which executes a Matlab code. The Matlab code includes the inverse kinematics equations which are necessary for the determination of the target joint angles for a certain Cartesian position of the end-effector. The robotic arm’s design process included several static and dynamic calculations, mechanical properties calculations and prototype testing in order to provide a final product with well-established structure and functionalities.
Chapter 2 Animal Models of Inflammatory Pain

Animal models of inflammatory pain have been widely used to study the mechanisms of tissue injuryinduced persistent pain. A variety of inflammatory agents or irritants, including complete Freund’s adjuvant, carrageenan, zymosan, mustard oil, formalin, capsaicin, bee venom, acidic saline, lipopolysaccharide, inflammatory cytokines, and sodium urate crystals, have been used to produce tissue injury and hyperalgesia in such structures as cutaneous/subcutaneous tissues, joints, and muscles. Additionally, models of pain hypersensitivity have also been established with injuries produced by burning, freezing, and ultra irradiation. Although these models do not simulate every aspect of chronic pain, they do model key features of human inflammatory pain. Studies in animals give insight into certain aspects of human pain conditions and lead to improved pain management for patients. Pain perception is more complex in humans than in animals since human pain perception encompasses psychosocial, cultural, developmental, and environmental variables. However, human and animal pain perceptions show parallels, and animal models partially mimic the persistent pain encountered in the clinic. In the last two decades animal models of inflammatory pain have been widely used to study the mechanisms of tissue injury-induced persistent pain. Although none of the existing models can simulate all symptoms of inflammatory pain, studies in animals give insight into certain aspects of human pain conditions and lead to better pain management for patients. In the following paragraphs, commonly used inflammatory pain animal models will be summarized. Interested readers may consult more comprehensive reviews for further details (1, 2).
INCREASING SOIL ORGANIC CARBON POOL AS A MEANS TO REGULATE GLOBAL WARMING

Under suitable conditions and appropriate management practices, the soil can be a good reservoir for terrestrial carbon. If the carbon-retention capacity of soil can be improved it will lead to a corresponding reduction of carbon in the atmosphere and will improve the situation arising from release of carbon to the atmosphere and subsequent global warming. However, agricultural practices, if not properly managed, can result in release of a large amount of carbon stored in soil to the atmosphere aggravating the situation. In this work, various factors that contribute to improving the soil carbon storage have been described on the basis of existing literature.
Consumption context and personalization

The enormous offer of video content on the internet and TV broadcast networks requires new instruments to assist people with the selecting process. This overabundance of audio-visual material can be handled by a recommendation system that learns user preferences and helps people find interesting content. Present-day recommendation systems focus on the metadata or the consumption behaviour to select the content but take no additional contextual information into account. However, we conducted a user survey which showed that the consumption behaviour is strongly influenced by the context (location, time, etc). Therefore, we present in this paper a design for recommendation systems which incorporates this consumption context in order to improve the results.
HAZARD PROCESSES AND MARTINGALE HAZARD PROCESSES

In this paper, we build a bridge between different reduced‐form approaches to pricing defaultable claims. In particular, we show how the well‐known formulas by Duffie, Schroder, and Skiadas and by Elliott, Jeanblanc, and Yor are related. Moreover, in the spirit of Collin Dufresne, Hugonnier, and Goldstein, we propose a simple pricing formula under an equivalent change of measure.
BPS Spectra, Barcodes and Walls

BPS spectra give important insights into the non-perturbative regimes of supersymmetric theories. Often from the study of BPS states one can infer properties of the geometrical or algebraic structures underlying such theories. In this paper we approach this problem from the perspective of persistent homology. Persistent homology is at the base of topological data analysis, which aims at extracting topological features out of a set of points. We use these techniques to investigate the topological properties which characterize the spectra of several supersymmetric models in field and string theory. We discuss how such features change upon crossing walls of marginal stability in a few examples. Then we look at the topological properties of the distributions of BPS invariants in string compactifications on compact threefolds, used to engineer black hole microstates. Finally we discuss the interplay between persistent homology and modularity by considering certain number theoretical functions used to count dyons in string compactifications and by studying equivariant elliptic genera in the context of the Mathieu moonshine.
DETERMINING EFFECT OF WEBOGRAPHICS ON CUSTOMER’S PURCHASE FREQUENCY IN E-RETAIL

Understanding customer’s behavioral depositions while interacting with the Web in general has become crucial in the virtual market. Deciphering webographics has become quintessential element for success and survival of any online business. However, there has been no study which has directly investigated the relationship between webographics and purchase frequency. Therefore, with an aim to understand associations between purchase frequency and webographics, web survey has been applied to 308 respondents, who have made at least one online purchase in past six months from prominent e-retailers in India. Significant relationship has been found between purchase frequency and webographic characteristics like internet experience, computer experience, usage level (time spent), access device, access place, web skill and type of data plan used by internet shopper.
Effective corporate tax rate and firm financing:an analysis of the listed firms at Nairobi stock exchange

Financing a Firm is basically a mix of debt and equity which a firm deems appropriate to enhance its operations. Firm financing constitutes its capital structure, which decision is crucial for any business organization because of the need to maximize returns to various organizational constituents and also because o f the impact such a decision has on a firm's ability to deal with its competitive environment. However, the tax paid by the firm affects the two, both debt and equity ratios. Thus, tax constitutes a potentially important consideration in firms' financing decisions. The question is, how does effective corporate tax rate affect the financial leverage of corporations? Therefore, this study assessed how the corporate tax rate affects financing for firms listed at Nairobi Stock Exchange. Specifically the study aimed to establish the relationship between effective corporate tax rate and debt ratio for firms listed at Nairobi Stock Exchange between 2003 and 2007. To achieve this objective of the study both correlation matrix and regression analysis were used. A regression equation: X= a + rY + e, was specified and estimated; where X represents the debt ratio, Y represents the effective corporate tax rate, a is the intercept, and r is the correlation co­ efficient which measures of the strength of linear association between the two variables, i.e., X and Y. The result revealed that there was a negative correlation between effective corporate tax rate and the debt ratio. First, the correlation matrix coefficient was -0.217. This linear correlation was negative at 5% level o f significance, indicating that there was negative relationship between effective corporate tax and debt ratio. Secondly, the regression result revealed that the coefficient between the effective corporate tax and debt ratio was -0.43. This indicated there was a negative relationship between effective corporate tax rate and debt ratio. The negative relationship supports the Pecking Order theory where firms prefer to use internal financing before resorting to external funds, mainly debt. The theory supports the negative relationship between tax ratio and the debt ratio as opposed to the Trade-off theory which supports a positive relationship between debt and tax ratio where the higher the tax ratio, the higher the debt ratio. Pecking order theory also explains negative intra-industry correlation between profitability and debt ratio, where the higher the profitability, the lower the debt ratio.
Effects of Camellia sinensis and mixed probiotics on the growth performance and body composition in broiler

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of green tea and fermented green tea probiotics on the growth performance and body composition in broiler chicks. A total 168 Ross broilers chicks, one-day old was randomly allotted to 6 treatments with 4 replications having 7 layers per replication. There were six dietary treatments namely negative control (without antibiotics), positive control (basal + 30 ppm oxytetracycline), green tea (basal + 0.5% and basal + 1.0%) and fermented green tea probiotics, FGTP (basal + 0.5% and basal + 1.0%). The results revealed that body weight gain and feed conversion ratio of broiler chicks were not significant among the treatments. The crude protein content of broiler meat was increased significantly in 1.0% FGTP group compared to the other treatments (P 0.05) were observed except fresh and 1st week after preservation. In conclusion, diets containing 0.5% green tea and 1.0% FGTP groups were suitable for broiler growth performance and meat composition. Key words: Green tea, fermented green tea probiotics, broiler, weight gain, crude protein, lipid oxidation.
Social Order within and beyond the Shadow of Hierarchy

In this paper I argue that governance can be referred back to the basic sociological categories of social order, institutions and power. More specifically, governance as an analytical concept refers to the ordering function of institutions that limits the role of self-help in social interaction. Since social order clearly predates the state the empirically relevant question is if governance outputs require some kind of functional equivalent to the state or if governance can be observed devoid of statehood in this functional sense. I discuss this question on the basis of evidence from different patterns of local governance (or: governance zones) observed in Afghanistan which are defined by various degrees of state involvement and governance effects. I find that social control is the only functional equivalent to the hieratical state in enforcing institutional rules against the self-interest of actors. Social control devoid of state protection is, however, limited in its geographical and social scope.
Comparison of Dynamic Characteristics of Two Instrumented Tall Buildings

Comparison of recorded structural earthquake response and predicted response by dynamic analysis provides vital information to structural designers on the effectiveness of current methods of dynamic analysis. There have been a number of previous studies of this nature, but only a few have paid attention to the three-dimensional nonlinear dynamic behaviour of tall buildings, so there is a need for these types of studies. The purpose of this paper is to study the dynamic properties of two well-instrumented tall steel frame buildings in Los Angeles, California. These building are within a few blocks of each other and have been subjected to ground motions from several earthquakes, among which the most significant are those from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The results of this study showed that although the buildings were subjected to similar level of ground shaking their different structural systems resulted in remarkably different building response. The differences and similarities of these responses are presented and discussed in this paper. Analyses of the recorded motions from these two buildings were conducted to determine the dynamic characteristics of each structure. Through the different analyses of the recorded a meaningful comparison of building behaviour could be made. The results of this study showed that very meaningful information can be extracted from recorded earthquake data, and that structural engineers can use this information to better understand the dynamic behaviour of very tall buildings. This information can also be used to gain confidence on finite element models used to predict the nonlinear response of buildings due to strong ground shaking.
Dynamic Inconsistency and the Seignorage Paradox

Why do governments that pursue seignorage set growth rates of money that exceeds the one that maximizes it? This paper presents a Keynesian model with a government that pursues seignorage but dislikes inflation. Dynamic inconsistency problems prevent the implementation of the optimal growth rate of money and even the existence of stationary equilibrium. When stationary equilibrium exists, it is multiple and the growth rate of money is larger than the one that maximizes seignorage in some or even all equilibria.
What matters in forming strategic alliances: A Case of the Kenya Institute of Management

th August, 2013 With the upgrading of polytechnics to constituent universities in Kenya, competition has been taken to even greater heights as far as midlevel training institutions is concerned. Students now have chances of progression after completing their diploma courses in the same polytechnics to do degrees. The study was an assessment of factors firms consider when entering into strategic alliances, the case of the Kenya institute of management. The study adopted a case study design. The target population was the directors and managers of the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM). A sample of 25 respondents was used which was spread proportionately across 3 administrative strata. The study used primary data that was collected through a self administered questionnaires. The study found out that the Kenya Institute of management has been actively involved in strategic alliances some of them that are still active while one had failed. It was also found that KIM mainly entered into strategic alliance in order to enter new markets and improving financial stability as key points. Other factors that also played important role in joining strategic alliance for KIM was improvement of customer service as well as reduction in product development costs. The study recommends that communication and trust should be cultivated at the start of the strategic alliance to ensure that each partners needs are kept in focus and the strategic alliance agreement should be well be drafted to ensure that should there be a change in the top management in one of the partner companies, the strategic alliance is not affected. The study further recommends that training institutions when entering into strategic alliances should carefully examine the reasons for entering into strategic alliances and be clear what expectations they have of their partner.
Binding Mode Investigation of Polyphenols from Scrophularia Targeting Human Aldose Reductase Using Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Aldose reductase (ALR2), a vital enzyme involved in polyol pathway, has befitted as a novel drug target in antidiabetes drug discovery process. In the present study, the binding mode and pharmacokinetic properties of potential polyphenolic compounds with reported aldose reductase inhibitory activity from the genus Scrophularia have been investigated. The human ALR2 enzyme (PDB ID: 2FZD) acted as the receptor in the current study. Among the compounds investigated, acacetin, a methoxy flavonoid, displayed the stable binding to the active site of ALR2 with least binding energy value. Molecular interaction analysis revealed that acacetin interrupts the proton donation mechanism, necessary for the catalytic activity of ALR2, by forming H-bond with Tyr48 (proton donor). In addition, acacetin also possessed favorable ADME properties and complies with Lipinski’s rule of 5 representing the possible drug-like nature compared to other polyphenols. Interestingly, the biological activity predictions also ranked acacetin with higher probability score for aldose reductase inhibition activity. Moreover, the molecular dynamics simulation of ALR2-acacetin complex was validated for the stability of ligand binding and the refined complex was used for generation of receptor-ligand pharmacophore model. Thus, the molecular insights of receptor-ligand interactions gained from the present study can be utilized for the development of novel aldose reductase inhibitors from Scrophularia.
ANALYSIS OF PLASMODIUM VIVAX MEROZOITE SURFACE PROTEIN-1 GENE SEQUENCES

The emergence of Plasmodium vivax in Dashte Moghan in northwestern Iran has become a major concern for Iranian's health officials. Knowledge of genetic make up of the P. vivax populations in this area would give us an insight into the origin of the prevalent infections and the possible routes they are introduced. This paper reports the analysis of a variable region between the two interspecies conserved blocks (ICBs) of 5 and 6 of MSP-1 gene in 18 isolates from Dashte Moghan. The results revealed that all the 18 isolates were similar to an Azari Belem-like type with 21 glutamine (Q) in the repeated residues. Our results may give a clue that the resurgent malaria in Dashteh Moghan might have primarily been introduced from Azerbaijan. However, much more molecular and epidemiological evidence are needed to confirm this hypothesis.
Purification, characterization and analysis of sepia melanin from commercial sepia ink (Sepia officinalis).

At the moment melanins are still enigmatic bio-pigments with structure and determination methods not clearly understood for the international scientific community. Among biopolymers, melanins are unique in many aspects. Some essential biopolymers (proteins, nucleic acids and carbohydrates) are chemically well characterized and can be determined using well established analytical methodologies. On the contrary, no available methods allow us to accurately determine melanin, mostly due to the intrinsic chemical properties of melanins. These pigments, in fact, are insoluble in a broad range of solvents and pH as well as difficult to purify as a result of the heterogeneity in their structural features. Mammalian melanins exist in two chemically distinct forms: the brown to black Eumelanin and the yellow to reddish-brown Pheomelanin. Sepia melanin obtained from Sepia Officinalis consists of more than 98% of Eumelanin and is therefore used as standard material in the analysis of melanic black. Commercial sepia melanin is purified according to an undescribed procedure. In this research, extraction and purification studies were carried out on sepia melanin using a hydrochloric acid (0.5 - 3.0 M) treatment under mechanical or ultrasonic agitation. A high degree purity sepia melanin was obtained and further characterized using Elemental Analysis (EA), UltravioletVisible (UV-VIS) and Infrared (IR) spectroscopy and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for metal ion analysis. Finally, quantitative studies of the chemical degradation of Eu polymers to Pyrrole-2,3,5tricarboxylic acid (PTCA) and Pyrrole-2,3-dicarboxylic acid (PDCA) by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) were performed. The procedure we developed can be used to obtain a considerably less expensive sepia melanin which could prove important as a standard in future determinations of eumelanin and pheomelanin as well as in a vast field of scientific and industrial applications in such fields as human and veterinary medicine, pharmacology and cosmetics.