Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The paradox from within: research participants doing-being-observed

This article analyses a collection of cases from video recordings of naturally occurring interaction in institutional settings, where members display an orientation to the presence of the recording equipment. Such instances have been treated elsewhere as evidence of contamination of the ecology of the setting. The findings suggest that participants do remain aware of the recording activity, but that they publicly display when they are attending to it. Indeed, it is used as one resource to occasion identity work as competent, knowledgeable members of a particular institutional community, displaying to one another their understanding of the research aims, and their knowledge of how these kinds of data are constituted. Investigating how observational research is oriented to and constituted by the observed allows for a better understanding of what at that moment and in that setting is deemed recording-appropriate or -inappropriate conduct, and offers a more nuanced perspective on how data are co-constituted.
Improving Human-in-the-Loop Adaptive Systems Using Brain-Computer Interaction

Although self-adaptive systems try to automate operation and reconfiguration, many such systems can benefit from human involvement in the adaptation process, especially for uncertain circumstances. For such "human-in-the-loop" adaptive systems, a critical challenge is to determine whether, when and how to include the human. Existing research has modeled the benefit of input from human mental states, e.g., variables from the Opportunity-Willingness-Capability (OWC) model, but fell short of operational implementations. The latter require unobtrusive measurement of human mental states. As a proof-of-concept, we conceptualized a self-adaptive system for stock prediction, which is fed with stock data, behavioral and neural input (electroencephalographic neuromarkers) to dynamically assess OWC variables and to predict if a human would likely enhance stock market buy/sell decision. We identified neural activities related to the OWC model and demonstrated enhanced outcome from adaptive involvement of the human. Both human and computer benefit from optimized (at time autonomous or cooperative) interactions. This paper illustrates one step forward in the evolution of software systems: from inception as programs that relied heavily on human intervention, to self-adaptive systems that aimed to function autonomously, and finally now in a third co-adaptive era that involves very close symbiosis of human and computer into cooperative tasks.
The Far-Ultraviolet Spectrum of TW Hydrae. I. Observations of H2 Fluorescence

We observed the classical T Tauri star TW Hya with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) using the E140M grating, from 1150 to 1700 Å, with the E230M grating, from 2200 to 2900 Å, and with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer from 900 to 1180 Å. Emission in 146 Lyman-band H2 lines, representing 19 progressions, dominates the spectral region from 1250 to 1650 Å. The total H2 emission line flux is 1.94 × 10-12 ergs cm-2 s-1, which corresponds to 1.90 × 10-4 L☉ at TW Hya's distance of 56 pc. A broad stellar Lyα line photoexcites the H2 from excited rovibrational levels of the ground electronic state to excited electronic states. The C II λ1335 doublet, C III λ1175 multiplet, and C IV λ1550 doublet also electronically excite H2. The velocity shift of the H2 lines is consistent with the photospheric radial velocity of TW Hya, and the emission is not spatially extended beyond the 0. ″05 resolution of HST. The H2 lines have an intrinsic FWHM of 11.91 ± 0.16 km s-1. One H2 line is significantly weaker than predicted by this model because of C II wind absorption. We also do not observe any H2 absorption against the stellar Lyα profile. From these results we conclude that the H2 emission is more consistent with an origin in a disk rather than in an outflow or circumstellar shell. We also analyze the hot accretion region lines (e.g., C IV, Si IV, O VI) of TW Hya, which are formed at the accretion shock, and discuss some reasons why Si lines appear significantly weaker than other TR region lines.
Investigations on Photon Energy Response of RadFET Using Monte Carlo Simulations

We describe investigations of RadFET energy response simulated with Geant4 and FLUKA2005 Monte Carlo codes. An analysis of energy deposition is carried out for photon irradiation with energies between 35 keV and 2 MeV. The absorbed dose in the silicon dioxide layer (few hundred nanometers) is compared for both transport codes.
Homo erectus in East Asia: Human Ancestor or Evolutionary Dead-End?

37 evolution, part of an intractable debate that continues to swirl over the origins of anatomically modern people. Many readers are assuredly familiar with the contours of this debate, between those who advocate a recent, uniregional origin for modern Homo sapiens in Africa (henceforth termed the “recent out of Africa,” or ROA, hypothesis) versus those who support a more deeply rooted, multiregional origin for our species (termed MRE for “multiregional evolution”). The implications of these two differing interpretations of modern human origins for understanding the course of human evolution and the status of H. erectusduring the last 1.8 million years of earth history are manifold. One major premise of the uniregional ROA hypothesis is that modern humans originated in sub-Saharan Africa between 100-200,000 years ago by evolving a set of unique physical features and cultural innovations that allowed them to disperse throughout the world, replacing older, more archaic human lineages that had established themselves in various regional settings. Most advocates of this hypothesis view the genus Homo as subject to the same evolutionary processes of divergence and differentiation as any other biological entity. ROA supporters are thus prone to use cladistic analysis, which attempts to partition fossil specimens into distinct evolutionary lineages by documenting uniquely derived features (autapomorphies) that separate one from another (Harrison 1993; see box 1). In order to better understand the nature of Homo erectus, the significance of its evolutionary history in East Asia, and the role it played in human evolution, it is first necessary to come to grips with what is meant by the term itself, as H. erectus has come to mean different things to different people. For some, H. erectusrepresents the first truly pandemic human species and the direct progenitor of archaic and modern H. sapiens. For others, H. erectus is an interesting footnote to the saga of human evolution, a distinct species that emerged in the East, only to go extinct without issue when modern humans expanded their range out of Africa to encompass the far reaches of the Old World. From this latter perspective H. erectus serves as the eastern analog of what is thought, by some, to be another failed experiment in humanity the Neanderthals. The very manner in which H. erectusis conceived is thus held captive to two competing views of human Homo erectus in East Asia: Human Ancestor or Evolutionary Dead-End?
LORETA Current Source Density for Duration Mismatch Negativity and Neuropsychological Assessment in Early Schizophrenia

Introduction Patients with schizophrenia elicit cognitive decline from the early phase of the illness. Mismatch negativity (MMN) has been shown to be associated with cognitive function. We investigated the current source density of duration mismatch negativity (dMMN), by using low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA), and neuropsychological performance in subjects with early schizophrenia. Methods Data were obtained from 20 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia or schizophreniform disorder, and 20 healthy control (HC) subjects. An auditory odd-ball paradigm was used to measure dMMN. Neuropsychological performance was evaluated by the brief assessment of cognition in schizophrenia Japanese version (BACS-J). Results Patients showed smaller dMMN amplitudes than those in the HC subjects. LORETA current density for dMMN was significantly lower in patients compared to HC subjects, especially in the temporal lobes. dMMN current density in the frontal lobe was positively correlated with working memory performance in patients. Conclusions This is the first study to identify brain regions showing smaller dMMN current density in early schizophrenia. Further, poor working memory was associated with decreased dMMN current density in patients. These results are likely to help understand the neural basis for cognitive impairment of schizophrenia.
A polyhedral method for solving sparse polynomial systems

A continuation method is presented for computing all isolated roots of a semimixed sparse system of polynomial equations. We introduce mixed subdivisions of Newton polytopes, and we apply them to give a new proof and algorithm for Bernstein's theorem on the expected number of roots. This results in a numerical homotopy with the optimal number of paths to be followed. In this homotopy there is one starting system for each cell of the mixed subdivision, and the roots of these starting systems are obtained by an easy combinatorial construction.
The Spectrum of Anti-Chromatin/Nucleosome Autoantibodies: Independent and Interdependent Biomarkers of Disease

Autoantibodies directed to chromatin components date back to the discovery of the LE cell and the LE cell phenomenon circa 1950, and subsequent evidence that major components of that reaction were chromatin components and histones in particular. Over time, immunoassays ranging from ELISA and line immunoassays to more modern bead-based assays incorporated histone and DNA mixtures, purified histones, and purified nucleosomes leading to a more thorough understanding of the genesis and pathogenetic relationships of antibodies to chromatin components in systemic lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune conditions. More recently, interest has focussed on other components of chromatin such as high mobility group (HMG) proteins both as targets of B cell responses and pro-inflammatory mediators. This review will focus on immunoassays that utilize chromatin components, their clinical relationships, and newer evidence implicating HMG proteins and DNA neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) as important players in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
Sociological Theory: What went Wrong?: Diagnosis and Remedies

Social theory is open to many passing currents. Claims to originality tend to thrive and past achievements are often ignored. In Sociologiocal Theory: What Went Wrong? Mouzelis claims that "problems" currently being isolated are not really problems, and that "achievements" claimed are little more than pretensions. He argues that we have been premature to dismiss thinkers from the late 1950s and early 1960s and that we can build on their ideas to produce a more effective, more relevant social theory. Written with precision and with clarity, Sociological Theory: What Went Wrong? is a compelling analysis of the central problems of sociological theory today and of the means to resolve them.
Is Your Love in Vain? Another Look at Premarital Cohabitation and Divorce

In this paper we provide an empirical investigation of the association between premarital cohabitation and subsequent risk of divorce. Theoretically couples who cohabit before marriage should have a lower subsequent risk of divorce since cohabitation enables you to gather information about the match quality, and only good matches evolve into marriage. However, a considerable number of papers have come to the complete opposite conclusion. The counter-intuitive result has been justified with self-selection of cohabitants as the main argument. In the present paper, we provide new evidence concerning the relationship between premarital cohabitation and divorce.
Metabolic Flux Responses to Pyruvate Kinase Knockout in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT The intracellular carbon flux distribution in wild-type and pyruvate kinase-deficient Escherichia coli was estimated using biosynthetically directed fractional 13C labeling experiments with [U-13C6]glucose in glucose- or ammonia-limited chemostats, two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of cellular amino acids, and a comprehensive isotopomer model. The general response to disruption of both pyruvate kinase isoenzymes in E. coli was a local flux rerouting via the combined reactions of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase and malic enzyme. Responses in the pentose phosphate pathway and the tricarboxylic acid cycle were strongly dependent on the environmental conditions. In addition, high futile cycling activity via the gluconeogenic PEP carboxykinase was identified at a low dilution rate in glucose-limited chemostat culture of pyruvate kinase-deficient E. coli, with a turnover that is comparable to the specific glucose uptake rate. Furthermore, flux analysis in mutant cultures indicates that glucose uptake in E. coli is not catalyzed exclusively by the phosphotransferase system in glucose-limited cultures at a low dilution rate. Reliability of the flux estimates thus obtained was verified by statistical error analysis and by comparison to intracellular carbon flux ratios that were independently calculated from the same NMR data by metabolic flux ratio analysis.
Plasma Processing Conditions Substantially Influence Circulating microRNA Biomarker Levels

Circulating, cell-free microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising candidate biomarkers, but optimal conditions for processing blood specimens for miRNA measurement remain to be established. Our previous work showed that the majority of plasma miRNAs are likely blood cell-derived. In the course of profiling lung cancer cases versus healthy controls, we observed a broad increase in circulating miRNA levels in cases compared to controls and that higher miRNA expression correlated with higher platelet and particle counts. We therefore hypothesized that the quantity of residual platelets and microparticles remaining after plasma processing might impact miRNA measurements. To systematically investigate this, we subjected matched plasma from healthy individuals to stepwise processing with differential centrifugation and 0.22 µm filtration and performed miRNA profiling. We found a major effect on circulating miRNAs, with the majority (72%) of detectable miRNAs substantially affected by processing alone. Specifically, 10% of miRNAs showed 4–30x variation, 46% showed 30-1,000x variation, and 15% showed >1,000x variation in expression solely from processing. This was predominantly due to platelet contamination, which persisted despite using standard laboratory protocols. Importantly, we show that platelet contamination in archived samples could largely be eliminated by additional centrifugation, even in frozen samples stored for six years. To minimize confounding effects in microRNA biomarker studies, additional steps to limit platelet contamination for circulating miRNA biomarker studies are necessary. We provide specific practical recommendations to help minimize confounding variation attributable to plasma processing and platelet contamination.
Quantitative isolation efficiency of O26, O103, O111, O145 and O157 STEC serotypes from artificially contaminated food and cattle faeces samples using a new isolation protocol

Aims: A range of new differential and confirmation plating media for some non‐O157 Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serotypes (O26, O103, O111, O145) and both sorbitol‐positive and ‐negative O157 were evaluated using artificially contaminated samples.
2 Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology From both reproductive rights-based and public health perspectives , the prevention of unintended pregnancy among women living with HIV has significant implications for maternal and child health

Despite increasing efforts to address the reproductive health needs of people living with HIV, a high unmet need for contraception exists among HIV+ women in sub-Saharan Africa. This study explores the fertility intentions and family planning (FP) preferences of Kenyan women accessing HIV treatment. We conducted 30 semistructured interviews and qualitatively analyzed the data with a grounded theory approach. Fears of premature death, financial hardship, and perinatal HIV transmission emerged as reasons for participants’ desire to delay/cease childbearing. Participants strongly identified FP needs, yet two-thirds were using male condoms alone or no modern method of contraception. Women preferred the HIV clinic as the site of FP access for reasons of convenience, provider expertise, and a sense of belonging, though some had privacy concerns. Our findings support the acceptability of integrated FP and HIV services. Efforts to empower women living with HIV to prevent unintended pregnancies must expand access to contraceptive methods, provide confidential services, and take into account women’s varied reproductive intentions.
Modeling and Understanding MIMO Propagation in Tunnels

This paper first presents an application of the modal theory for interpreting experimental results of the electromagnetic field variation along a tunnel. The transmitting frequency is assumed to be high enough so that the tunnel behaves as an oversized waveguide. Then, for a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output channel, theoretical results of the channel capacity are given. To explain the decrease of the capacity at large distance from the transmitter, even by assuming a constant signal to noise ratio, an approach based on the calculation of the eigenvalues of the transfer matrix in a reference scenario is described.
The devolution of HR responsibilities: perspectives from the UK's public sector

This article examines the reallocation of human resource management responsibilities from HR specialists to line managers in UK public sector organisations in an increasingly regulated working environment. It uses evidence about the extent and scope of HR devolution in a large unitary city council, the British Library and a county probationary service. Based on the perceptions of senior managers, middle managers, HR specialists and the trade union representatives, it specifically explores: the issues devolution raises about the HR responsibilities of line managers; the experience of HR devolution in the public sector; and the impact of a more externally regulated and litigious workplace on continuing devolution.
Social, Emotional, and Affective Skills for College and Career Success

Mandy Savitz-Romer (mandy_savitz-romer@gse.harvard.edu) is a senior lecturer in education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is the co-author of Ready, Willing and Able: A Developmental Approach to College Access and Success. Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon (rowanken@bc.edu) is an associate professor in the higher education program in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. Her work focuses on college access and success for underrepresented students. Cheri Fancsali (cfancsali@impaqint.com) is managing director of education research and principal research scientist at Impaq International. Her research focuses on the impact of school-improvement efforts, including the social, emotional, and affective dimensions of learning. By Mandy Savitz-Romer, Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon, and Cheri Fancsali
Mucosal Immunization of Lactating Female Rhesus Monkeys with a Transmitted/Founder HIV-1 Envelope Induces Strong Env-Specific IgA Antibody Responses in Breast Milk

ABSTRACT We previously demonstrated that vaccination of lactating rhesus monkeys with a DNA prime/vector boost strategy induces strong T-cell responses but limited envelope (Env)-specific humoral responses in breast milk. To improve vaccine-elicited antibody responses in milk, hormone-induced lactating rhesus monkeys were vaccinated with a transmitted/founder (T/F) HIV Env immunogen in a prime-boost strategy modeled after the moderately protective RV144 HIV vaccine. Lactating rhesus monkeys were intramuscularly primed with either recombinant DNA (n = 4) or modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) poxvirus vector (n = 4) expressing the T/F HIV Env C.1086 and then boosted twice intramuscularly with C.1086 gp120 and the adjuvant MF59. The vaccines induced Env-binding IgG and IgA as well as neutralizing and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) responses in plasma and milk of most vaccinated animals. Importantly, plasma neutralization titers against clade C HIV variants MW965 (P = 0.03) and CAP45 (P = 0.04) were significantly higher in MVA-primed than in DNA-primed animals. The superior systemic prime-boost regimen was then compared to a mucosal-boost regimen, in which animals were boosted twice intranasally with C.1086 gp120 and the TLR 7/8 agonist R848 following the same systemic prime. While the systemic and mucosal vaccine regimens elicited comparable levels of Env-binding IgG antibodies, mucosal immunization induced significantly stronger Env-binding IgA responses in milk (P = 0.03). However, the mucosal regimen was not as potent at inducing functional IgG responses. This study shows that systemic MVA prime followed by either intranasal or systemic protein boosts can elicit strong humoral responses in breast milk and may be a useful strategy to interrupt postnatal HIV-1 transmission.
The effects of gender on responses to assertion.

The Effect of Gender on Responses to Assertion (September, 1983) Bruce Britton Kerr, B. A. Middlebury College M.S., Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Directed by: Professor Marian L. MacDonald Two experiments were conducted to assess the effects of gender on responses to assertive behavior. In Experiment One, 72 male and 72 female college undergraduates listened to, and imagined themselves in, four audiotaped scenes in which they heard either a maleor female-voiced stranger ask them to change their behavior. Subjects then made two written responses: what they would actually say, and, what they would like to say. In Experiment Two, an independent sample of 40 male and 40 female undergraduates heard the same taped scenes used in Experiment One, and rated the asserting stranger along seventeen Semantic Differential
Doppler Estimation of Left Ventricular Filling Pressures in Patients With Mitral Valve Disease

Background—Conventional Doppler measurements have limitations in the prediction of left atrial pressure (LAP) in patients with mitral valve disease (MVD), given the confounding effect of valve area, left ventricular (LV) relaxation, and stiffness. However, the time interval between the onset of early diastolic mitral inflow velocity (E) and annular early diastolic velocity (Ea) by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), TE−Ea, which is well related to the time constant of LV relaxation (&tgr;) in canine and clinical studies, is not subject to these variables. We therefore undertook this study to test its usefulness in a patient population. Methods and Results—Two-dimensional Doppler and TDI echocardiography were performed simultaneously with right-heart catheterization in 51 consecutive patients (mean±SD age, 64±11 years) with MVD: 35 with moderately severe to severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and 16 with moderate to severe mitral stenosis (MS). Among several Doppler measurements, only the mitral E/A ratio, isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT), and pulmonary venous Ar duration had significant relations with mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP). The ratio of IVRT to TE−Ea (for MR, r=−0.92; for MS, r=−0.88; both P<0.001) and the ratio of IVRT to &tgr; (for MR, r=−0.74; for MS, r=−0.85; both P<0.001) had the best correlations with PCWP. In 54 repeat studies, including those performed after MV repair or replacement, these ratios tracked well the changes in PCWP and readily identified changes in mean PCWP by ≥5 mm Hg. A similar correlation was noted in 13 patients with atrial fibrillation (r=−0.92, P<0.01) and in a prospective group of 14 patients with MR (r=−0.93, P<0.001). Conclusions—The ratio of IVRT to TE−Ea or to &tgr; can be readily applied for estimating mean PCWP in patients with MVD and can track changes in PCWP after valve surgery.