nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Influence of Expectation Confirmation, Network Externalities, and Flow on Use of Mobile Shopping Apps
Venue: Int. J. Hum. Comput. Interact.
Year: 2019

The purpose of the current research is to examine the influence of expectation confirmation, network externalities, and flow on word of mouth intention and continued use of mobile shopping apps. A structured online survey questionnaire is used to collect data from 363 users of mobile shopping apps. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the research model. The findings reveal that indirect network externalities, i.e. perceived complementarity, influence perceived usefulness of the mobile shopping app. Users' confirmation of expectations significantly influences perceived usefulness, satisfaction, and continuance intention to use mobile apps. Satisfaction is found to be a significant predictor of continuance intention and word of mouth intention. Flow influences satisfaction of users, perceived usefulness, and continuance intention. Word of mouth intention is found to be an important post adoption behavioral outcome. The results provide valuable theoretical insights for academics and managerial implications for providers of mobile shopping apps.
Interprofessional collaboration between residential child care and mental care practitioners: a cross country study in six European countries
Year: 2019

The severe mental health problems of many of the young people living in residential settings pose a great challenge and demand on child protection and mental care (MC) services. Drawing on comparative research and debates from six European countries, this study examines demands for integrated care and interprofessional collaboration practices between residential child care (RCC) and MC. In this article, research data will be brought together from Denmark, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, the UK (Scotland) and Spain. In total, 61 practitioners from RCC and MC were interviewed. Given the complexity of the residential care service context and service system differences across national contexts, the original hypothesis was that this would differentiate the collaboration practices. However, the similarity between the countries is greater than anticipated. The concluding findings are organised by matrix technique into a content analytic summary table. The main finding was that in spite of encouragement for integrated RCC, obstacles for collaboration and lack of coordination between systems remain, often related to understanding the professional role and tasks, lack of shared knowledge, attitudes and ways of communication. One significant finding in the cross country comparison was the evident and unrealistic expectations for the 'other' provider to help and care.
Shifting Intra and Inter Organizational Innovation Processes Towards Digital Business: An Empirical Analysis of SMEs
Year: 2017

The literature suggests that increasing investments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) knowledge exchange and sharing help SMEs tackle the current global and dynamic environment. Given that much of the useful knowledge resides outside the enterprises' boundaries, these technological tools foster the gathering of big data and information. Despite these premises, few studies have considered the role of ICTs and big data in intra and inter organizational ties and the consequent effects on enterprises' innovation performance. The paper investigates whether ICTs oriented to intra organizational (in house research and development [R&D] and inter organizational (open innovation) processes improve SMEs' innovation performance. Therefore, via structural equation modelling (SEM) the study analyses a sample of 239 knowledge intensive SMEs located in Italy. The noteworthy results are that ICTs oriented to intra and inter organizational innovation processes improve both these processes in generating new products and/or services. On this basis, managerial and academic implications are provided, along with avenues for further research.
Design and Application of a Small ROV Control System Based on ArduSub System
Venue: 2020 IEEE 2nd International Conference on Civil Aviation Safety and Information Technology (ICCASIT
Year: 2020

A small ROV was designed and developed for its wide application and low cost, ArduSub system was used to construct ROV control system to realize ROV motion and attitude control. Equipped with componets such as cameras, underwater lights, sonar and manipulator, ROV has the characteristics of flexible movement, strong anti current ability, and underwater observation and operation capabilities. Structure and control system composition of ROV and the attitude control algorithm used is introduced in the paper. Through the pool test, the results showed that the use of ArduSub system to build ROV control system makes the ROV has better motion performance and attitude maintain ability, shorten the ROV development cycle and reduce cost.
Engineering engagement: Perceived L2 development and short term service learning abroad
Venue: Foreign Language Annals
Year: 2019

The current study compared perceived language gains between learners of different preprogram proficiencies, academic interests, and genders who participated in the same predeparture preparation and short stay service learning program abroad. L2 learners studying Spanish and computer science students participated in a semester long program to design two 1 week technology summer camps for middle school students in the Dominican Republic, followed by a sojourn to the site where participants led all camp learning and social activities. Representative statements from the NCSSFL ACTFL Can Do Statements (2015) were used to measure students' self assessed predeparture and postdeparture ability in the three modes of communication (interpersonal speaking, interpretive listening, and presentational speaking) Results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in self assessed language gain across the modes, with females and students with a higher predeparture proficiency reporting greater gains in perceived language development. Implications for instructional design and implementation of short term study abroad are discussed.
$H_\infty$ Model free Reinforcement Learning with Robust Stability Guarantee
Year: 2019

Reinforcement learning is showing great potentials in robotics applications, including autonomous driving, robot manipulation and locomotion. However, with complex uncertainties in the real world environment, it is difficult to guarantee the successful generalization and sim to real transfer of learned policies theoretically. In this paper, we introduce and extend the idea of robust stability and $H_\infty$ control to design policies with both stability and robustness guarantee. Specifically, a sample based approach for analyzing the Lyapunov stability and performance robustness of a learning based control system is proposed. Based on the theoretical results, a maximum entropy algorithm is developed for searching Lyapunov function and designing a policy with provable robust stability guarantee. Without any specific domain knowledge, our method can find a policy that is robust to various uncertainties and generalizes well to different test environments. In our experiments, we show that our method achieves better robustness to both large impulsive disturbances and parametric variations in the environment than the state of art results in both robust and generic RL, as well as classic control. Anonymous code is available to reproduce the experimental results at this https URL.
Impact of Audit Fees and Audit Firm's Reputation on Audit Quality: Evidence from Listed Companies from Pakistan
Year: 2020

Audit quality is viewed as a basic element influencing the dependability of financial statements. The objective of this study is to investigate the impacts of audit firm characteristics, including audit firms' reputation and audit fees on the quality of auditing. We utilized discretionary/irregular accruals serving as a proxy for income manipulation, and audit firms' reputation (Big 4 auditors vs Non Big 4 auditors) and audit fees are utilized to examine the quality of auditing. A sample comprised of 49 listed firms from the KSE 100 index of Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) is selected for the duration of 5 years. The data is evaluated through multiple regression and correlations. The outcomes suggested that audit Fee seems to have a significant and negative effect on the quality of auditing, Audit quality also seems to affect ROA negatively, whereas, audit fee affected ROA positively. Lastly, the Big 4 representation has a negative effect on cash flows, whereas audit quality seems to have an inverse effect. The outcomes indicate that non Big 4 audit firms in Pakistan perform higher quality of auditing than Big 4 audit firms. In addition to that, the outcome discloses that in exchange of higher audit fees, auditors perform lower quality of audits. The basic job of audit quality has gathered remarkably academic consideration. Though, earlier researches have basically centered on organizations operating in developed nations. Very limited is investigated about the quality of auditing in developing economies, for example, Pakistan. This investigation would increase the predetermined number of researches conducted on the quality of auditing of listed firms in developing nations.
Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally
Venue: Environmental Sciences Europe
Year: 2016

BackgroundAccurate pesticide use data are essential when studying the environmental and public health impacts of pesticide use. Since the mid 1990s, significant changes have occurred in when and how glyphosate herbicides are applied, and there has been a dramatic increase in the total volume applied.MethodsData on glyphosate applications were collected from multiple sources and integrated into a dataset spanning agricultural, non agricultural, and total glyphosate use from 1974 2014 in the United States, and from 1994 2014 globally.ResultsSince 1974 in the U.S. over 1.6 billion kilograms of glyphosate active ingredient have been applied, or 19 of estimated global use of glyphosate (8.6 billion kilograms) Globally, glyphosate use has risen almost 15 fold since so called "Roundup Ready," genetically engineered glyphosate tolerant crops were introduced in 1996. Two thirds of the total volume of glyphosate applied in the U.S. from 1974 to 2014 has been sprayed in just the last 10 years. The corresponding share globally is 72 In 2014, farmers sprayed enough glyphosate to apply ~1.0 kg/ha (0.8 pound/acre) on every hectare of U.S. cultivated cropland and nearly 0.53 kg/ha (0.47 pounds/acre) on all cropland worldwide.ConclusionsGenetically engineered herbicide tolerant crops now account for about 56 of global glyphosate use. In the U.S. no pesticide has come remotely close to such intensive and widespread use. This is likely the case globally, but published global pesticide use data are sparse. Glyphosate will likely remain the most widely applied pesticide worldwide for years to come, and interest will grow in quantifying ecological and human health impacts. Accurate, accessible time series data on glyphosate use will accelerate research progress.
Derecho internacional y la libertad religiosa
Year: 2019

Con la intensificacion de las migraciones de los refugiados en diferentes paises, y el consiguiente aumento en la convivencia entre diferentes pueblos, culturas y religiones, los conflictos se han acentuado, en especial aquellos de cuno religioso, lo que ha generado numerosos casos de violacion del derecho a la libertad religiosa. En virtud de ello, el presente estudio examinara este derecho desde la perspectiva internacional, a traves del analisis del sistema normativo internacional y brasileno, asi como de articulos cientificos y reportajes periodisticos. En cuanto a la proteccion y violacion de tal libertad, se hace un enfoque, por cuestion de objetividad, a la religion cristiana en general. Hecho esto, analizaremos el caso actual referente al Proyecto del Nuevo Codigo Penal Boliviano, el cual genero una gran conmocion en la poblacion boliviana en razon de dispositivos cuyas redacciones violaban diferentes derechos y garantias constitucional e internacionalmente previstos, entre ellos, el de la libertad religiosa. Con ello, se pretende demostrar que, aun hoy, asi como otras religiones, los cristianos han tenido su derecho restringido, sea de forma amplia como ocurre en paises asiaticos y africanos, sea de forma encubierta y legalizada, como sucede en paises latinoamericanos, los estadounidenses.
Carboxymethyl cellulose coating decreases toxicity and oxidizing capacity of nanoscale zerovalent iron.
Venue: Chemosphere
Year: 2014

Nanoscale zerovalent iron (NZVI) with modified surface via coating with organic stabilizers has been documented with enhanced colloidal stability and dispersity. Therefore, the expanded application potential and accompanying intrinsic exposure of such nanoparticle can be anticipated. In our study, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) stabilized NZVI (CNZVI) exerted minimized oxidative stress response and slower disruption of cell membrane integrity, resulting in mitigated cytotoxicity towards bacteria Agrobacterium sp. PH 08 as compared with the uncoated counterpart. The corrosive oxidation of both nanoparticles in oxygenic water provided a better understanding of coating effect. The decreased oxidative degradation of probe 4 chlorophenol with CNZVI than NZVI implicated a weaker oxidizing capacity, which might overweight massive adhesion mediated redox damage and explain the different exposure outcome. However, enhanced evolution of iron oxide as well as the promoted production of hydrogen peroxide adversely demonstrated CMC coating facilitated iron corrosion by oxygen, suggesting CMC was most likely to act as a radical scavenger and compete with organics or bacteria for oxidants. Moreover, XRD, XPS and TEM results showed that the spherical NZVI was oxidized to form needle shaped iron oxide hydroxide (gFeOOH) with no detectable oxidative stress for PH 08, alleviating worries regarding exotoxicological impact of iron nanotechnology.
Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Interventions on Pain Intensity in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review
Year: 2020

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the most prominent cause of disability worldwide. For the treatment of CLBP, Mindfulness based Interventions (MBIs) such as mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) mindfulness meditation (MM) are often used; however, their exact effect on pain intensity has not yet been determined for these people.  This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of MBIs on pain intensity in people with CLBP.  In this systematic review, all of the randomized controlled trials available on PubMed, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Scopus, and ProQuest databases from 2014 to 2020 were reviewed.  This study is also the first review article in the field of chronic low back pain that reviews the databases of Google Scholar, Irandoc, and SID in Persian. Studies were included if they were: (1) RCT; (2) had patients with chronic low back pain; (3) made a comparison between MBIs and a passive comparator (usual care) or an active comparator (such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or health education) (4) examined pain intensity.  In the initial search, we found 297 trials in total databases. After removing duplicates and applying all inclusion and exclusion criteria, 9 RCT (totaling 959 patients) with CLBP were included for this systematic review.  MBIs are effective solutions for coping with CLBP, and their effects are maintained for a long time. No significant difference was found between the effectiveness of these treatments and CBT treatment on pain intensity of patients with CLBP.
Low Lattice Thermal Conductivity of a Two Dimensional Phosphorene Oxide
Venue: Scientific Reports
Year: 2019

A fundamental understanding of the phonon transport mechanism is important for optimizing the efficiency of thermoelectric devices. In this study, we investigate the thermal transport properties of the oxidized form of phosphorene called phosphorene oxide (PO) by solving phonon Boltzmann transport equation based on first principles density functional theory. We reveal that PO exhibits a much lower thermal conductivity (2.42 7.08 W/mK at 300 K) than its pristine counterpart as well as other two dimensional materials. To comprehend the physical origin of such low thermal conductivity, we scrutinize the contribution of each phonon branch to the thermal conductivity by evaluating various mode dependent quantities including Gruneisen parameters, anharmonic three phonon scattering rate, and phase space of three phonon scattering processes. Our results show that its flexible puckered structure of PO leads to smaller sound velocities; its broken mirror symmetry allows more ZA phonon scattering; and the relatively free vibration of dangling oxygen atoms in PO gives rise to additional scattering resulting in further reduction in the phonon lifetime. These results can be verified by the fact that PO has larger phase space for three phonon processes than phosphorene. Furthermore we show that the thermal conductivity of PO can be optimized by controlling its size or its phonon mean free path, indicating that PO can be a promising candidate for low dimensional thermoelectric devices.
DEVELOPMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURED LIPID CARRIER FORMULATION CONTAINING OF RETINYL PALMITATE
Year: 2016

The purpose of this research is to develop a Nanostructure Lipid Carrier (NLC) formulation containing of Retinyl Palmitate.  Preparation of NLC was carried out by ultrasonication method. The formulas of NLC were developed by using virgin coconut oil and oleic acid as a liquid lipids, cetyl palmitate, and stearic acid as solid lipids, Tween 80 and Poloxamer as a surfactant and glycerine as co surfactant. Characterization of NLC consisted of visual appearance, morphology, particle size, polydispersity index (PI) and physical stability test using freeze thaw, centrifugation, and accelerate stability test method.  Obtained NLC revealed a good characterization with the formulation of 7.2% of cetyl palmitate, 4.8% of oleic acid, 10% of Tween 80, 10% of glycerin, and 2% of retinyl palmitate. This NLC has a pale yellow appearance, globule size of 258+ 15.85 nm; and a polydispersity index of 0.31+ 0.09. It was also physically stable after centrifuged at 13,000 rpm for 30 min, during 4 cycles of freeze thaw and storage at room temperature for 28 d. During storage for 28 d, retinyl palmitate in NLC had been degraded only about 15% in comparison with macroemulsion destroyed almost 50% of retinyl palmitate in the same time.  NLC formulations with 7.2% cetyl palmitate, 4.8% of oleic acid, 10% of Tween 80, 10% of glycerol, and 2% of retinyl palmitate is the most optimal formula that showed a good characteristic. Stability study revealed that NLC provided better stability than macroemulsion.  Retinyl palmitate, NLC, Ultrasonication Methode
Variational methods for Conditional Multimodal Learning: Generating Human Faces from Attributes
Venue: ArXiv
Year: 2016

Prior to this decade, the field of computer vision was primarily focused around hand crafted feature extraction methods used in conjunction with discriminative models for specific tasks such as object recognition, detection/localization, tracking etc. A generative image understanding was neither within reach nor the prime concern of the period. In this paper, we address the following problem: Given a description of a human face, can we generate the image corresponding to it? We frame this problem as a conditional modality learning problem and use variational methods for maximizing the corresponding conditional log likelihood. The resultant deep model, which we refer to as conditional multimodal autoencoder (CMMA) forces the latent representation obtained from the attributes alone to be 'close' to the joint representation obtained from both face and attributes. We show that the faces generated from attributes using the proposed model, are qualitatively and quantitatively more representative of the attributes from which they were generated, than those obtained by other deep generative models. We also propose a secondary task, whereby the existing faces are modified by modifying the corresponding attributes. We observe that the modifications in face introduced by the proposed model are representative of the corresponding modifications in attributes. Hence, our proposed method solves the above mentioned problem.
Object Recognition by Combining Binary Local Invariant Features and Color Histogram
Venue: 2013 2nd IAPR Asian Conference on Pattern Recognition
Year: 2013

In this paper, we propose an approach for object recognition using binary local invariant features and color information. In our approach, we use a fast detector for key point detection and binary local features descriptor for key point description. For local feature matching, the Fast library for Approximated Nearest Neighbors (FLANN) is applied to match the query image and reference image in data set. A homography matrix which represents transformation of object in scene image and reference image is estimated from matching pairs by using the Optimized Random Sample Consensus Algorithm (ORSA) Then, we detect object location in the image, and remove background of image. Next, significant color feature is used to calculate global color histogram since it reflects main content of primitive image and also ignores noises. Similarity of query image and reference object image is a linear combination of color histogram correlation and number of feature matches. As a result, the proposed method can overcome drawbacks of object recognition method using only local features or global features. In addition, the use of binary feature makes feature description as well as feature matching faster to meet the requirement of a real time system. For evaluation, we experiment with two well known and latest local invariant features including the Oriented Fast and Rotated Binary Robust Independent Elementary Features (ORB) and Fast Retina Key point (FREAK) and a planar object data set. According to the result, ORB feature shows that it is powerful as our system obtained the higher accuracy and fast processing time. The experimental results also proved that combination of binary local invariant feature and significant color is effective for planar object recognition.
SARS CoV 2 replicates in respiratory ex vivo organ cultures of domestic ruminant species
Venue: Veterinary Microbiology
Year: 2020

There is strong evidence that severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 virus (SARS CoV 2) the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic, originated from an animal reservoir. However, the exact mechanisms of emergence, the host species involved, and the risk to domestic and agricultural animals are largely unknown. Some domestic animal species, including cats and ferrets, have been demonstrated to be susceptible to SARS CoV 2 infection, while others, such as pigs and chickens, are not. Importantly, the susceptibility of ruminants to SARS CoV 2 is unknown, even though they often live in close proximity to humans. We investigated the replication and tissue tropism of two different SARS CoV 2 isolates in the respiratory tract of three farm animal species cattle, sheep, and pigs using respiratory ex vivo organ cultures (EVOCs) We demonstrate that the respiratory tissues of cattle and sheep, but not of pigs, sustain viral replication in vitro of both isolates and that SARS CoV 2 binds efficiently to ACE2 expressing cells of the respiratory tract of both ruminant species. Intriguingly, SARS CoV 2 isolates containing an amino acid substitution at site 614 of the spike protein (mutation D614 G) replicated at higher magnitude in ex vivo tissues of both ruminant species, supporting previous results obtained using human cells. These results suggest that additional in vivo experiments involving several ruminant species are warranted to determine the potential role in the epidemiology of this virus.