Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Manifestly supersymmetric M theory

In this paper, the low-energy effective dynamics of M-theory, eleven-dimensional supergravity, is taken off-shell in a manifestly supersymmetric formulation. We show that a previously proposed relaxation of the superspace torsion constraints does indeed accommodate a current supermultiplet which lifts the equations of motion corresponding to the ordinary second order derivative supergravity lagrangian. We comment on the relation and application of this completely general formalism to higher-derivative (R4) corrections. Some details of the calculation are saved for a later publication.
Analysis of Rabies in China: Transmission Dynamics and Control

Human rabies is one of the major public-health problems in China. The number of human rabies cases has increased dramatically in the last 15 years, partially due to the poor understanding of the transmission dynamics of rabies and the lack of effective control measures of the disease. In this article, in order to explore effective control and prevention measures we propose a deterministic model to study the transmission dynamics of rabies in China. The model consists of susceptible, exposed, infectious, and recovered subpopulations of both dogs and humans and describes the spread of rabies among dogs and from infectious dogs to humans. The model simulations agree with the human rabies data reported by the Chinese Ministry of Health. We estimate that the basic reproduction number for the rabies transmission in China and predict that the number of the human rabies is decreasing but may reach another peak around 2030. We also perform some sensitivity analysis of in terms of the model parameters and compare the effects of culling and immunization of dogs. Our study demonstrates that (i) reducing dog birth rate and increasing dog immunization coverage rate are the most effective methods for controlling rabies in China; and (ii) large scale culling of susceptible dogs can be replaced by immunization of them.
Pilot Scale Testing of Adsorbent Amended Filters under High Hydraulic Loads for Highway Runoff in Cold Climates

This paper presents an estimation of the service life of three filters composed of sand and three alternative adsorbents for stormwater treatment according to Norwegian water quality standards for receiving surface waters. The study conducted pilot scale column tests on three adsorbent amended filters for treatment of highway runoff in cold climates under high hydraulic loads. The objectives were to evaluate the effect of high hydraulic loads and the application of deicing salts on the performance of these filters. From previous theoretical and laboratory analysis granulated activated charcoal, pine bark, and granulated olivine were chosen as alternative adsorbent materials for the present test. Adsorption performance of the filters was evaluated vis-a-vis four commonly found hazardous metals (Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn) in stormwater. The results showed that the filters were able to pass water at high inflow rates while achieving high removal. Among the filters, the filters amended with olivine or pine bark provided the best performance both in short and long-term tests. The addition of NaCl (1 g/L) did not show any adverse impact on the desorption of already adsorbed metals, except for Ni removal by the charcoal amended filter, which was negatively impacted by the salt addition. The service life of the filters was found to be limited by zinc and copper, due to high concentrations observed in local urban runoff, combined with moderate affinity with the adsorbents. It was concluded that both the olivine and the pine bark amended filter should be tested in full-scale conditions.
Three Important Research Agendas for Educational Multimedia: Learning, Children, and Gender

This paper discusses three often-overlooked characteristics of educational multimedia systems that are important for human-computer interaction (HCI) researchers: (a) learning environments have very different goals and approaches than do workplace environments, so HCI research must investigate issues within the context of learning; (b) what works for adults will not necessarily work for children, so HCI research must develop usability guidelines that are appropriate for children; (c) girls and boys interact differently with technology, so HCI research must understand how each gender interacts with computers. We illustrate each of these issues with examples from our own research and explain how the characteristics of educational multimedia systems can lead to computing environments that do not hinder children's learning and do not exclude any children on the basis of gender.
Strong Temperature Increase and Shrinking Sea Ice in Arctic Alaska

Barrow, the most northerly community in Alaska, observed a warming of 1.51°C for the time period of 1921- 2012. This represents about twice the global value, and is in agreement with the well-known polar amplification. For the time period of 1979-2012, high quality sea ice data are available, showing a strong decrease in sea ice concentrations of 14% and 16% for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, respectively, the two marginal seas bordering Northern Alaska. For the same time period a mean annual temperature increase of 2.7°C is found, an accelerated increase of warming over the prior decades. Looking at the annual course of change in sea ice concentrations, there is little change observed in winter and spring, but in summer and especially autumn large changes were observed. October displayed the greatest change; the amount of open water increased by 44% and 46% for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, respectively. The large amount of open water off the northern coast of Alaska in autumn was accompanied by an increase of the October temperature at Barrow by a very substantial 7.2°C over the 34 year time period. Over the same time period, Barrow's precipitation increased, the frequency of the surface inversion decreased, the wind speed increased slightly and the atmospheric pressure decreased somewhat.
The Globular Cluster System of M60 (NGC 4649). II. Kinematics of the Globular Cluster System

We present a kinematic analysis of the globular cluster (GC) system in the giant elliptical galaxy (gE) M60 in the Virgo Cluster, using a photometric and spectroscopic database of 121 GCs (83 blue and 38 red GCs). We have found that the M60 GC system shows a significant overall rotation. The rotation amplitude of the blue GCs is slightly smaller than or similar to that of the red GCs, and the position angles of their rotation axes are similar. The velocity dispersions about the mean velocity and about the best-fit rotation curve for the red GCs are marginally larger than those for the blue GCs. Comparison of observed stellar and GC velocity dispersion profiles with those calculated from the stellar mass profile shows that the mass-to-light ratio should increase as the galactocentric distance increases, indicating the existence of an extended dark matter halo. The sample of all the GCs in M60 is found to have a tangentially biased velocity ellipsoid, unlike the GC systems in other gEs. The two subsamples appear to have different velocity ellipsoids. The blue GC system has a modestly tangentially biased velocity ellipsoid, while the red GC system has a modestly radially biased or an isotropic velocity ellipsoid. We compare the kinematic properties of the M60 GC system to those of other gEs (M87, M49, NGC 1399, NGC 5128, and NGC 4636), and discuss the implication of these results for the formation models of the GC system in gEs.
Quantifying the Effect of Sentiment on Information Diffusion in Social Media

Social media has become the main vehicle of information production and consumption online. Millions of users every day log on their Facebook or Twitter accounts to get updates and news, read about their topics of interest, and become exposed to new opportunities and interactions. Although recent studies suggest that the contents users produce will affect the emotions of their readers, we still lack a rigorous understanding of the role and effects of contents sentiment on the dynamics of information diffusion. This work aims at quantifying the effect of sentiment on information diffusion, to understand: (i) whether positive conversations spread faster and/or broader than negative ones (or vice-versa); (ii) what kind of emotions are more typical of popular conversations on social media; and, (iii) what type of sentiment is expressed in conversations characterized by different temporal dynamics. Our findings show that, at the level of contents, negative messages spread faster than positive ones, but positive ones reach larger audiences, suggesting that people are more inclined to share and favorite positive contents, the so-calledpositive bias. As for the entire conversations, we highlight how different temporal dynamics exhibit different sentiment patterns: for example, positive sentiment builds up for highly-anticipated events, while unexpected events are mainly characterized by negative sentiment. Our contribution represents a step forward to understand how the emotions expressed in short texts correlate with their spreading in online social ecosystems, and may help to craft effective policies and strategies for content generation and diffusion.
Multi-joint and single-joint exercise performance and perceived exertion with several different recoveries

Senna G, Scudese E, Carneiro F, Torres J, Queiroz C, Dantas E. Multi-Joint and Single-Joint Exercise Performance and Perceived Exertion with Several Different Recoveries. JEPonline 2015;18(3):91-100. The purpose of this study was to compare repetition performance and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) with different rest periods for multi-joint and single-joint exercises. Fourteen trained men (20.93 ± 2.40 yrs; 75.23 ± 9.37 kg; 176.64 ± 7.53 cm; 24.03 ± 1.62 kg·m) completed 8 sessions with 3 sets of 10 RM loads. Barbell bench press (BP) or machine chest fly (MCF) were alternated (one each day) with different rest periods for each day (1-min, 2-min, 3-min, or 5-min). The results indicated that the shorter rest length presented greater reductions in repetition number for the BP (1-min < 2-min < 3-min, P≤0.0001), but no differences were observed between the 3-min and the 5-min rest conditions. For MCF, significant differences were evidenced for rest periods of 1-min, 2-min, and 3-min compared to 5 -(P≤0.0001). No significant differences were found between 1-min, 2-min, and 3min. Both exercises presented progressive declines in repetition performance over consecutive sets. Increases in RPE were evident over the course of the consecutive sets for both exercises, with significant exertion values at the lower smaller rest conditions. In conclusion, the findings indicate that both exercises presented similar patterns in repetition performance and RPE.
How many IRT parameters does it take to model psychopathology items?

The authors compared the fit of the 2- and 3-parameter logistic models (2PLM; 3PLM) on 15 unidimensional factor scales derived from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--Adolescent item pool. Log-likelihood chi-square deviance tests indicated that a 3PLM provided an improved fit. However, residual statistics indicated that the difference in fit between the 2 models was negligible. An unexpected finding was that from 10% to 30% of the items had substantial lower asymptote parameters (c > or = .10) when the scales were scored in the pathology or nonpathology directions. The authors argue that the large lower asymptote parameters are attributable to item-content ambiguity possibly caused by item-level multidimensionality. These findings suggest that the direction of scoring can critically affect an item response theory analysis.
Discretionary self-monitoring of physical activity: A mixed-methods study of behavior change technique use and historical physical activity

Author(s): Ramirez, Ernesto Raul | Advisor(s): Patrick, Kevin | Abstract: In the last decade there has been a rise in the availability of consumer focused physical activity and fitness tracking devices. Recently there has been interest in using these devices from the research community for data collection and as part of health behavior interventions. With millions of adults using activity trackers it is necessary to develop an understanding of how they are used, and to what extent different factors may affect physical activity outcomes. The current study sought to explore the relationship between behavior change techniques (BCTs) used by long-term users of Fitbit activity tracking devices and change in physical activity over time. In-depth interviews were conducted with participants in order to obtain information about behavior change techniques connected to the use of the Fitbit system. Historical Fitbit data (steps and activity intensity) were also collected. Thirty participants were recruited to take part in the study. Based on coding of the in-depth interviews, individuals who are long-term users of physical activity tracking devices were found to use a variety of techniques associated with their engagement with the devices and it’s connected applications. On average participants took 9,695 steps (SD = 5,309) and participated in 33.90 minutes of MVPA (SD = 42.90) per day. An exploration of the relationship between technique use and physical activity outcomes using multi-level modeling indicated that there was limited support for the relationship between use of techniques included in the design the Fitbit system and positive change in physical activity over time. No support was found for a positive relationship between the use of additional BCTs not included in the design of the Fitbit system and physical activity outcomes. Additional qualitative analysis demonstrated that individuals think about and use the same techniques in different ways and apply them in different contexts. This exploratory study is the first examination of BCT use by individuals who freely choose to use physical activity tracking devices, and provided a proof of concept for a systematic mixed methods approach. Results of the study highlight the importance of understanding context of behavior change technique use in relation to physical activity behavior change.
Obstetric ultrasound scanning by local health workers in a refugee camp on the Thai–Burmese border

Ultrasound examination of the fetus is a powerful tool for assessing gestational age and detecting obstetric problems but is rarely available in developing countries. The aim of this study was to assess the intraobserver and interobserver agreement of fetal biometry by locally trained health workers in a refugee camp on the Thai–Burmese border.
DISCOVERY OF THREE PULSARS FROM A GALACTIC CENTER PULSAR POPULATION

We report the discovery of three pulsars whose large dispersion measures (DMs) and angular proximity to Sgr A* indicate the existence of a Galactic center population of neutron stars. The relatively long periods (0.98–1.48 s) most likely reflect strong selection against short-period pulsars from radio-wave scattering at the observation frequency of 2 GHz used in our survey with the Green Bank Telescope. One object (PSR J1746−2850I) has a characteristic spindown age of only 13 kyr along with a high surface magnetic field ∼4 × 1013 G. It and a second object found in the same telescope pointing, PSR J1746−2850II (which has the highest known DM among pulsars), may have originated from recent star formation in the Arches or Quintuplet clusters given their angular locations. Along with a third object, PSR J1745−2910, and two similar high-dispersion, long-period pulsars reported by Johnston et al., the five objects found so far are 10–15 arcmin from Sgr A*, consistent with there being a large pulsar population in the Galactic center, most of whose members are undetectable in relatively low-frequency surveys because of pulse broadening from the same scattering volume that angularly broadens Sgr A* and OH/IR masers.
Cochlear implantation in asymmetrical hearing loss for children: Our experience

Abstract Cochlear implantation in children with an asymmetrical hearing loss is now becoming more recognized as an appropriate and beneficial treatment option. In our programme, we have been implanting children with asymmetrical hearing loss since 2008. Asymmetrical hearing loss is defined as hearing loss when one ear meets criteria for cochlear implantation and the other ear has better hearing and receives benefit from a hearing aid. There is a wide range of asymmetrical hearing loss: single-sided deafness is the end of the spectrum. Amplification in asymmetrical hearing loss is usually difficult, it is often not possible to adequately aid the poorer ear; therefore patients often experience compromised hearing with adequate aiding of their better ear only. The impact of hearing with one ear on speech development, education, and employment is significant.
Employing Em in Pool-based Active Learning for Text Classiication

This paper shows how a text classiier's need for labeled training data can be reduced by a combination of active learning and Expectation Maximization (EM) on a pool of unlabeled data. Query-by-Committee is used to actively select documents for labeling, then EM with a naive Bayes model further improves classiication accuracy by concurrently estimating probabilistic labels for the remaining unlabeled documents and using them to improve the model. We also present a metric for better measuring disagreement among committee members; it accounts for the strength of their disagreement and for the distribution of the documents. Experimental results show that our method of combining EM and active learning requires only half as many labeled training examples to achieve the same accuracy as either EM or active learning alone.
The impact of part time employment on students' health and academic performance: a Scottish perspective

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between part time working, mental and physical health and academic performance. Fifty per cent of the undergraduate full time respondents had part time jobs. Mean pay per hour was £4.25 and mean number of hours worked was 14 hours. When the current state of students' health was compared to the sex‐ and age‐related norms for the general population, it showed that seven of the eight areas of health measured were significantly poorer than those of the general population. Results also showed that being in debt and part time working both have a very slight (though significant), detrimental effect on both mental and physical health of students. Accordingly, working more hours increased the probability that a student perceived a negative effect on academic performance. In conclusion, it is recommended that several measures be implemented to help students, to organize study and part time work to best effect.
Photon Emissivity of the Electrosphere of Bare Strange Stars

We consider the spectrum, emissivity, and flux of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the thin electron layer (the electrosphere) at the surface of a bare strange star. In particular, we carefully consider the effect of the multiple and uncorrelated scattering on the radiation spectrum (the Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal effect), together with the effect of the strong electric field at the surface of the star. The presence of the electric field strongly influences the radiation spectrum emitted by the electrosphere. All the radiation properties of the electrons in the electrosphere essentially depend on the value of the electric potential at the quark star surface. The effect of the multiple scattering, which strongly suppresses radiation emission, is important only for the dense layer of the electrosphere situated near the star's surface and only for high values of the surface electric potential of the star. Hence a typical bremsstrahlung radiation spectrum, which could extend to very low frequencies, could be one of the main observational signatures even for low-temperature quark stars.
Being Precedes Act: Indicative and Imperative in Paul’s Writing

The relationship between the indicative and the imperative in Paul's writing is sometimes and understandably seen as the basic structure of his ethics.1 By 'indicative' we have in mind the fact that the new life in Christ is a work of God; it finds its origin in the death and resurrection of the Lord and comes into being through the work of the Holy Spirit. The believer is thus a new creation; a member of Christ; a temple of the Holy Spirit; he is regenerated, and so on. By 'imperative' we mean that the apostle also indicates that the new life thus given is to be continually manifested and worked out by the Christian Believer. T. J. Keegan2 suggests too much in expressing the relationship as 'a tension-producing opposition'; yet it is true that there is inherent in the relationship of the 'is' and 'ought' statements3 a problem posed for readers of Pauline correspondence. To put this in the words of Stanley Hauerwas may usefully begin our discussion. He says; ' . it is not clear . how the "indicatives" of the faith--God has done X and Y for you-provide the rationale or justi1)r the imperatives: Do this X and Y. To put it concretely, there seems to be a problem
Hierarchical text categorization and its application to bioinformatics

In a hierarchical categorization problem, categories are partially ordered to form a hierarchy. In this dissertation, we explore two main aspects of hierarchical categorization: learning algorithms and performance evaluation. We introduce the notion of consistent hierarchical classification that makes classification results more comprehensible and easily interpretable for end-users. Among the previously introduced hierarchical learning algorithms, only a local top-down approach produces consistent classification. The present work extends this algorithm to the general case of DAG class hierarchies and possible internal class assignments. In addition, a new global hierarchical approach aimed at performing consistent classification is proposed. This is a general framework of converting a conventional "flat" learning algorithm into a hierarchical one. An extensive set of experiments on real and synthetic data indicate that the proposed approach significantly outperforms the corresponding "flat" as well as the local top-down method. For evaluation purposes, we use a novel hierarchical evaluation measure that is superior to the existing hierarchical and non-hierarchical evaluation techniques according to a number of formal criteria. Also, this dissertation presents the first endeavor of applying the hierarchical text categorization techniques to the tasks of bioinformatics. Three bioinformatics problems are addressed. The objective of the first task, indexing biomedical articles with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), is to associate documents with biomedical concepts from the specialized vocabulary of MeSH. In the second application, we tackle a challenging problem of gene functional annotation from biomedical literature. Our experiments demonstrate a considerable advantage of hierarchical text categorization techniques over the "flat" method on these two tasks. In the third application, our goal is to enrich the analysis of plain experimental data with biological knowledge. In particular, we incorporate the functional information on genes directly into the clustering process of microarray data with the outcome of an improved biological relevance and value of clustering results.