Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Innovation Systems for Transformations towards Sustainability? A Normatively Infused Reflection

This paper contributes to the refinement of an innovation systems (IS) framework for better understanding and governing sustainability transformations on a systemic and global level. In our understanding, the discussion must be guided by two assumptions: (i) transformations involve systemic innovations, (ii) transformations involve a normative dimension. Following this impetus, we can identify a “normativity gap” in prior approaches, particularly in transitions research and IS research. More specifically, we argue that the current discussion lacks a focus on directionality and legitimacy. Improving the capacity of an IS framework for dealing with transformations towards sustainability requires taking these normative issues or “the ethical dimension” of sustainability transformations more seriously into account. This also entails focusing on the complexity of paradigmatic normativity and probing into (in-)compatibilities between different sustainabilityrelevant norms, beliefs, and value systems to support a shift towards a sustainability-oriented paradigm. Based on these deliberations, we fathom how an extended concept of IS can help to govern transformations towards sustainability and explore the implications for and from research on innovation policy. The paper concludes by proposing a way forward: dedicated innovation systems as an IS framework dedicated to better understanding and governing transformations towards sustainability.
DOES CENTRALIZATION INCREASE

Difficulties faced by the Economic and Monetary Union have strengthened the position of those who advocate a process of (further) political integration in the European Union (EU). A widespread fear is, though, that such a process would favor powerful interest groups able to lobby the EU policymakers. Persson and Tabellini (1994) argue that political centralization will increase the size of the government through lobbying because of free-riding incentives created by federally funded programs with localized benefits. We extend their analysis by presenting a model where the budgeting process is divided into two stages, instead of one, which better captures the EU institutional framework. A federal legislator (the Council) chooses the size of the budget at one stage, while a federal agency (the Commission) chooses the allocation of the budget at the next stage. We show that separation of powers in the budgeting process restricts free riding and, therefore, reduces the incentives to lobby. The result is an unchanged budget under centralization. Moreover, it is shown that if the lobbying activity is directed to both policymakers, competitive lobbying may actually reduce the size of the public sector under centralized policymaking.
Interpretable Deep Generative Recommendation Models

User preference modeling in recommendation system aims to improve customer experience through discovering users’ intrinsic preference based on prior user behavior data. This is a challenging issue because user preferences usually have complicated structure, such as inter-user preference similarity and intra-user preference diversity. Among them, inter-user similarity indicates different users may share similar preference, while intra-user diversity indicates one user may have several preferences. In literatures, deep generative models have been successfully applied in recommendation systems due to its flexibility on statistical distributions and strong ability for non-linear representation learning. However, they suffer from the simple generative process when handling complex user preferences. Meanwhile, the latent representations learned by deep generative models are usually entangled, and may range from observed-level ones that dominate the complex correlations between users, to latent-level ones that characterize a user’s preference, which makes the deep model hard to explain and unfriendly for recommendation. Thus, in this paper, we propose an Interpretable Deep Generative Recommendation Model (InDGRM) to characterize inter-user preference similarity and intra-user preference diversity, which will simultaneously disentangle the learned representation from observed-level and latent-level. In InDGRM, the observed-level disentanglement on users is achieved by modeling the user-cluster structure (i.e., inter-user preference similarity) in a rich multimodal space, so that users with similar preferences are assigned into the same cluster. The observed-level disentanglement on items is achieved by modeling the intra-user preference diversity in a prototype learning strategy, where different user intentions are captured by item groups (one group refers to one intention). To promote disentangled latent representations, InDGRM adopts structure and sparsity-inducing penalty and integrates them into the generative procedure, which has ability to enforce each latent factor focus on a limited subset of items (e.g., one item group) and benefit latent-level disentanglement. Meanwhile, it can be efficiently inferred by minimizing its penalized upper bound with the aid of local variational optimization technique. Theoretically, we analyze the generalization error bound of InDGRM to ∗. Corresponding author. c ©2021 Huafeng Liu, Liping Jing, Jingxuan Wen, Pengyu Xu, Jiaqi Wang, Jian Yu and Michael K. Ng. License: CC-BY 4.0, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Attribution requirements are provided at http://jmlr.org/papers/v22/20-1098.html. Liu, Jing, Wen, Xu, Wang, Yu and Ng guarantee its performance. A series of experimental results on four widely-used benchmark datasets demonstrates the superiority of InDGRM on recommendation performance and interpretability.
Análise Interativa Qualitativa: uma contribuição metodológica para pesquisas em sustentabilidade

Pesquisas na área de sustentabilidade são muitas vezes interdisciplinares. Baseiam-se em problemas complexos e sistêmicos, que demandam ação coletiva entre diversos atores para mitigar riscos e aproveitar oportunidades. A abordagem qualitativa é muito utilizada em estudos em sustentabilidade por meio de métodos como estudo de caso e pesquisa bibliográfica. Entretanto, o uso de abordagens metodológicas sistêmicas é escasso. O objetivo do artigo é descrever os protocolos e procedimentos operacionais do método Análise Qualitativa Interativa (IQA na sigla em inglês) aplicados em uma pesquisa empírica. O IQA é um método adequado para pressupostos epistemológicos complexos e construção de sistemas. O método propõe protocolos baseados em múltiplas fontes de coleta e análise de dados, e participação ativa dos respondentes da pesquisa. Além de contribuírem com seus depoimentos, os constituintes são envolvidos em rodadas de análise e validação dos dados. O estudo apresenta os procedimentos metodológicos usados na operacionalização de uma pesquisa que investigou a adoção de estratégias de valor compartilhado em empresas de grande porte. A sistematização dos protocolos e o rigor metodológico sugerem que o IQA é um método adequado para estudos na temática da sustentabilidade.
An electrochemical sensor based on the composite of molybdenum carbides and a multiwalled carbon nanotube modified electrode for the ultrasensitive detection of rifampicin

The composite of molybdenum carbides and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs–Mo2C) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was developed to prepare an electrochemical sensor for the ultrasensitive detection of rifampicin. Solvothermal and annealing methods were used to synthesize the MWCNTs–Mo2C composite. The morphology and size of the synthesized materials were characterized using a scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. The MWCNTs–Mo2C composite shows a large effective surface area and reveals high electron transfer rate, indicating its excellent electrocatalytic activity. Under optimal conditions, the modified electrode used to analyze rifampicin shows an excellent linear relationship between the peak current and the rifampicin concentration in the range from 0.5 to 74 μM. The limit of detection was 0.045 μM (S/N = 3). The sensor was successfully applied to actual drugs and human serum testing with satisfactory results.
Prognosis investigation in young patients with cervical adenocarcinoma undergoing cold knife conization and factors influencing postoperative recurrence

Objective: To explore the prognosis of young patients (≤ 35 years old) with cervical adenocarcinoma in situ (ACIS) after cold knife conization (CKC). Methods: One hundred young patients with ACIS who underwent CKC in our hospital from April 2014 to April 2017 were selected as research subjects. According to whether the patients needed supplementary treatment after CKC, they were divided into two groups: the follow-up group (without supplementary treatment, n = 60) and the surgery group (with supplementary treatment, n = 40). The clinical treatment efficacy, complications, adverse psychological moods and quality of life between the two groups were compared. The two groups of patients were followed up for 3 years, and the number of patients who died, had recurrence, or developed into invasive adenocarcinoma was recorded, and the risk factors leading to recurrence were analyzed. Results: The clinical efficacy evaluation results of the two groups were similar, and no deaths occurred during the 3-year follow-up. In addition, although the number of patients with recurrence and development of invasive adenocarcinoma in the follow-up group was higher than that in the surgery group, there was no significant difference in comparison. The follow-up group had lower SDS and SAS scores than the surgery group, while having a higher quality of life score than the surgery group. The incidence of postoperative complications in the follow-up group was lower than that in the surgery group. Conclusion: There is no need to supplement hysterectomy for young ACIS patients with negative margin after CKC.
Role of Dietary and Lifestyle Modifications in the Secondary Prevention of Biomarkers of Plaque recurrence in Omani Coronary Revascularized Patients

Objective: To assess the role of various dietary and lifestyle modifications in the secondary prevention of biomarkers of plaque recurrence in Omani coronary revascularized patients. Methods: Seventy-two patients, from the outpatient cardiology clinic of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, were included in the study after obtaining an informed consent. In a questionnaire-based study, we collected data about four lifestyle modifications; physical activity, weight reduction, dietary intake and healthy eating patterns and smoking or non-smoking status, in personal interviews. A modified previously validated study questionnaire, which comprised of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire, was used to assess the demographic information, eating patterns, diet quality index score, and daily dietary intake of study participants. The data about patient’s baseline characteristics, revascularization information and biochemical laboratory tests was harvested from the SQUH’s electronic record system. The statistical analysis of data was made using R-studio v.7 and Microsoft excel v.7. Results: The males had higher educational level as compared to females and were more active than females. The data indicated that 16% males and females were diabetic, 10% males and 21% females were hypertensive, and 30% males and 42% females had both diabetes and hypertension. Forty eight percent males and 63% females had body mass index (BMI) >30. However, no significant (P < 0.05) differences were observed in the BMI, diabetes and hypertension status in males and females. Both genders had poor nutritional knowledge. Although the LDL-C and HDL-C values in males and females differed, they were within the normal therapeutic limits. The HbA1c and C-reactive protein values were above the normal ranges with no significant (P < 0.05) difference in both males and females. The average daily energy intake in males (2694 kcalories) was significantly higher compared to females (1603 kcalories). The proportionate contribution of energy from macronutrients was within the acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges. Omani diet score for males (75.5) and females (74.6) didn’t differ significantly (P < 0.05), indicating their adherence to healthy dietary patterns. Conclusions: The results suggest that dietary and lifestyle modifications play significant role in the secondary prevention of biomarkers of plaque recurrence in Omani coronary revascularized patients. Behavioral counseling to promote healthy modifications in dietary and lifestyle factors are therefore recommended in the secondary prevention of risk of plaque recurrence.
Detailed modelling and simulation of single-phase transformers for research and educational purposes

COVID-19 pandemic, despite its devastating impact, accelerated the shift to e-learning in higher education. Particularly in the electrical machines courses, that often include laboratory experiments. However, no detailed models of transformers, developed in Simulink/MATLAB®, were reported in the literature. Hence, in this paper, a virtual laboratory consists of models of single-phase transformers was built for the first time. The proposed models are easy to use and modify, and allow all machines’ parameters to be altered for students to replicate easily to support and enhance the learning process of electrical machines courses. Consequently, the developed models are effective tools for educational and research purposes. Dynamic models of single-phase, two-winding, transformers and step-up and step-down auto-transformers were developed using Simulink/MATLAB®. Two different approaches for modelling were proposed, the block diagram representation and Simscape based models. The two modelling methods were validated against the built-in transformer model. The developed models have been successfully integrated into electrical engineering courses at Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq. Therefore, all developed models are freely available online at a dedicated repository.
DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION OF MICRORNA IN GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH SOCIAL SUPPORT

To explore the differential expression of microRNA (miRNA, miR-) and its correlation with social support and personality in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) patients. A total of 80 GAD patients and 80 control participants were selected from our serial study samples to be tested for microarray analysis, and real time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) verification was carried out in both patient group and control group. Correlation between miRNA expression and social support were also carried out. According to microarray analysis, 6 miRNAs were differentially expressed between patient group and control group, with miR-4505, miR-4484, miR-4674, miR-501-3p and miR-663 up-regulated, and miR-1301 down-regulated; qPCR verification revealed that 5 miRNAs (miR-1301, miR-4484, miR-4674, miR-501-3p, miR-663, miR-4505) were significantly up-regulated and the expression of miRNA-1301 down-regulated; the expression of miRNA-1301 was significantly related to social support in GAD patients. In conclusions, comprehensive factors, including miRNA regulation, social support may be involved into the aetiology of GAD.
Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterisation of Amine Functionalised SiO2/PBI derivatives nanocomposite membrane

In this study, a series of amine functionalised silica/OPBI nanocomposite membrane for high-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cell (HT – PEMFC) application were prepared. In order to provide a better dispersion and improving the interfacial interaction between organic/inorganic materials, polyethyleneimine was immobilised onto the surface of silica before added into poly(4,4’-diphenylether – 5, 5’-bibenzimidazole) (OPBI). Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiment proved the synthesised polymer while Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and EDX method used to validate the grafting of the amine derivative to the surface of silica in the polymer matrix. Although a satisfactory dispersion pattern was found on all nanocomposite membrane under scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies, agglomeration pattern was seen at higher loading of functionalised silica nanoparticles. The physicochemical characteristic of the nanocomposite membrane was investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis for high temperature PEMFC application. Lower water uptake and swelling ratio in both water and phosphoric acid (PA) showed by the OPBI / SiPEI with an increasing trend as the amount of SiPEI were increased. Addition of amine functionalised silica into OPBI shows a significant improvement compared to pure OPBI while the thermal stability of the membrane at high temperature region (100 – 200 °C) can be influenced by the loading concentration of the amine functionalised silica.
Influence of Motivational Human Resource Management Practices on Employee Role Behavior

Based on the perspective of social network, the study of motivational human resource management practice on employee behavior has far-reaching significance for theory and reality. This paper explores the relationship between the two dimensions of motivational human resource management practice and employee role behavior. Mainly use statistical software such as SPSS, AMOS, and HLM to conduct exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and mediating effect analysis of data. It shows Motivational Human Resource Management Practices (MHRMP) is positively correlated with employee behavior; MHRMP is positively correlated with job embeddedness; Job embeddedness mediates the relationship between MHRMP and employee behavior. This paper adopts a cross-level research method, the research level is from the organizational level to the individual level. The discussion of motivational human resource management practice and employee individual behaviors can also provide references for the construction of cooperative human resource practices.
Application of Artificial Neural Network to ANPR: An Overview

Vehicle owner documentation and traffic flow mechanism have contributed to a major issue in each country. From time to time it turns out to be challenging to detect car owners who fault traffic regulations. Hence, it of interest to us to investigate designs for automatic number plate detection structure as a clarification and proffer solution to this issue. There are several automatic number plate detection or recognition structure existing today. The structure is according to diverse methods nonetheless automatic number plate recognition is still a difficult job as many of the parameters such as a fast-moving vehicle, non-uniform car number plate, the language used in writing the vehicle number and various lighting situations may hinder 100% detection rate. Many of the structure-function underneath these boundaries. This paper review diverse methods of automatic number plate recognition considering success rate, picture size, and processing time as factors. However, automatic number plate detection is recommended for traffic regulating agencies.
THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MONETARY POLICY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN JORDAN DURING THE PERIOD 1978-2010

This study aims to examine the causal relationship between gross domestic product and money supply in Jordan using the Granger methodology in order to determine the direction of the relationship between the two variables during the period 1978-2010. The study found that there is a causal relationship going from the money supply to gross domestic product, and not vice versa. Based on the outcome of causality tests, the changes in the money supply help explain the changes that occur in the gross domestic product, while not conducive to changes in GDP in the interpretation of changes in money supply.
Implementation of PROMIS® in an Optometry Clinic

Purpose The full utility of general health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS) surveys in the eye care setting has not been previously demonstrated. This report demonstrates the feasibility of implementing PROMIS in an eye care clinic. Patients and Methods Over 2 months, general health and functioning PROMIS surveys were offered to all patients in an optometric clinic in Rochester, NY. Demographic and clinical variables were recorded along with percent completion and time to completion of the survey. Results Across 651 patients, 258 chose to attempt PROMIS. Patients with low visual acuity were less likely to attempt the survey (p=0.049), and younger patients were more likely to complete the survey (p=0.025); no other patient characteristics were found to differ between those who did and did not participate in, nor complete, PROMIS. A total of 193 patients completed the survey (74.8%) in a mean time of 6.36 minutes (range = [1.43, 51.92] minutes; standard deviation = 5.62 minutes). Time to completion did not vary significantly across any groups. Conclusion Our relatively high completion rate among those who attempted PROMIS indicates that PROMIS surveys are feasible to implement in an optometry clinic. While most patients completed the survey in little time, the large range of time to completion may indicate that some patients had difficulty completing the survey. Furthermore, the significant difference in visual acuity between those who participated in the survey and those who did not highlights the need to address the way PROMIS is delivered in order to foster greater inclusion.
Effect of Cervical Mobilization and Transcutaneous Supraorbital Nerve Stimulation in Migraine Without Aura

Migraine is one of the most common disabling headache disorders which is categorized into two broad types based on the number of headache days. It is called episodic or general migraine if the attacks occur less than 15 days per month, and it is categorized as chronic or transformed migraine if headache occur on 15 or more days per month. This study was conducted to find out the effect of strategy for pain using a modality and strategy using mobilization in reducing disability, frequency and pain in migraine without aura. Thirty-Two subjects were selected based on diagnostic criteria for migraine and divided into two groups. Group A received Cervical Mobilization and Myofascial Release with home exercise program and Group B received Transcutaneous Supraorbital Nerve Stimulation with home exercise program. Visual Analogue Scale, Questionnaire (HIT-6) were recorded as outcome on baseline and after 3 weeks. Results showed significant improvements in both the groups with, p<0.01. Between group comparisons elicited non-significant differences with p˃ 0.05. Following the results, it can be concluded that cervical mobilization and Transcutaneous Supraorbital nerve stimulation can be added as a valuable adjunct to medical management in the treatment of migraine without aura.
Current mismatch reduction in charge pumps using regulated current stealing-injecting transistors for PLLs

A charge pump for phase locked loops (PLL) with a novel current mismatch compensation technique is proposed. The proposed circuit uses a simple yet effective current stealing-injecting (CSI) technique and feedback to reduce mismatch between the negative-channel-metal-oxide (NMOS) and positive-channel-metal-oxide (PMOS) transistors. The current stealing transistor steals the current from a replica branch and mirrors it to the output where it is added to the output branch by the injecting transistor. A feedback mechanism is used to set the drain voltages of both branches to be equal and mitigate channel length modulation and ensure high accuracy. The proposed circuit was designed on Silterra 130nm technology and simulated using Cadence Spectre. The simulation results show that the proposed circuit yields a maximum of 0.107% and minimum of 0.00465% current mismatch while operating at a low supply voltage of 800mV for a range of 100mV to 700mV. The proposed design uses only one rail-to-rail op amp for compensating the mismatch and an addition of 4 transistors and utilizing 75% of the supply voltage for high voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) tuning range.