Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surviving The Legal System: A handbook for adult & child sexual assault survivors & their supporters

16 S exual assault, rape and child abuse cases are notoriously harrowing for the survivors, as their word is pitted against that of their assailants. For many, facing the legal world after their assault can be an equally traumatic experience. However, for those survivors who are courageous enough to step forward, seeking redress through the criminal justice system remains vital for their sense of closure after the assault.
Integrated design of fault reconstruction and fault-tolerant control against actuator faults using learning observers

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the problem of integrated fault reconstruction and fault-tolerant control in linear systems subject to actuator faults via learning observers (LOs). A reconfigurable fault-tolerant controller is designed based on the constructed LO to compensate for the influence of actuator faults by stabilising the closed-loop system. An integrated design of the proposed LO and the fault-tolerant controller is explored such that their performance can be simultaneously considered and their coupling problem can be effectively solved. In addition, such an integrated design is formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) that can be conveniently solved in a unified framework using LMI optimisation technique. At last, simulation studies on a micro-satellite attitude control system are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Work engagement in eight European countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the level and predictors of work engagement among service sector employees in eight European countries.Design/methodology/approach – The work seeks to discover if job demands and resources, i.e. job autonomy and social support, affect work engagement in differing ways in different countries when socio‐demographical variables and work‐related factors are controlled. The study is based on a statistical analysis of survey data from Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and the UK in 2007 (n=7,867). The data represent four economic sectors: retail trade, finance and banking, telecoms and public hospitals.Findings – The results show that the level of work engagement varies not only between countries but also between those four economic sectors within each country. Additionally, the findings indicate that demands decrease work engagement, while autonomy and support increase it. Although the effects are mainly the same across the .
Optimization of Prostate Biopsy Referral Decisions

Prostate cancer is the most common solid tumor in American men and is screened for using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests. We report on a nonstationary partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) for prostate biopsy referral decisions. The core states are the patients' prostate cancer related health states, and PSA test results are the observations. Transition probabilities and rewards are inferred from the Mayo Clinic Radical Prostatectomy Registry and the medical literature. The objective of our model is to maximize expected quality-adjusted life years. We solve the POMDP model to obtain an age and belief (probability of having prostate cancer) dependent optimal biopsy referral policy. We also prove a number of structural properties including the existence of a control-limit type policy for the biopsy referral decision. Our empirical results demonstrate a nondecreasing belief threshold in age, and we provide sufficient conditions under which PSA screening should be discontinued for older patients. Finally, the benefits of screening under the optimal biopsy referral policy are estimated, and sensitivity analysis is used to prioritize the model parameters that would benefit from additional data collection.
Rapid Formation of Spatiotopic Representations As Revealed by Inhibition of Return

Inhibition of return (IOR), a performance decrement for stimuli appearing at recently cued locations, occurs when the target and cue share the same screen position. This is in contrast to cue-based attention facilitation effects that were recently suggested to be mapped in a retinotopic reference frame, the prevailing representation throughout early visual processing stages. Here, we investigate the dynamics of IOR in both reference frames, using a modified cued-location saccadic reaction time task with an intervening saccade between cue and target presentation. Thus, on different trials, the target was present either at the same retinotopic location as the cue, or at the same screen position (e.g., spatiotopic location). IOR was primarily found for targets appearing at the same spatiotopic position as the initial cue, when the cue and target were presented at the same hemifield. This suggests that there is restricted information transfer of cue position across the two hemispheres. Moreover, the effect was maximal when the target was presented 10 ms after the intervening saccade ended and was attenuated in longer delays. In our case, therefore, the representation of previously attended locations (as revealed by IOR) is not remapped slowly after the execution of a saccade. Rather, either a retinotopic representation is remapped rapidly, adjacent to the end of the saccade (using a prospective motor command), or the positions of the cue and target are encoded in a spatiotopic reference frame, regardless of eye position. Spatial attention can therefore be allocated to target positions defined in extraretinal coordinates.
ELEŞTİREL DÜŞÜNME VE ÖĞRETİMİ

This study questions the definitions and the characteristics of critical thinking via sur-veying the related literature; furthermore within the framevrark of approaches in teaching critical thinking, it claims for the necessity of teaching these skills. Besides, the role of teacher, the importance of provid-ing appropriate school and classroom envi-ronment and the methods and strategies adoptable in teaching critical thinking will be evaluated.
Renal dysfunction in the surgical patient Maintenance of the high output state with furosemide

A sustained loss of concentrating ability (renal dysfunction) was identified in 29% of a patient population judged to be at risk for this problem on the basis of clinical criteria. Six patients in this group fulfilled previously developed criteria for early renal failure, i.e., free water clearance CH2O between +15 and −15 ml/hr and no change after furosemide. All of these patients were maintained in the high urinary output state with furosemide.Sequential determinations of free water clearance are a sensitive means of monitoring renal function which permits early identification and therapy of patients with renal vasomotor nephropathy.
TRANSCRIPTOME‐WIDE EXPRESSION VARIATION ASSOCIATED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL PLASTICITY AND MATING SUCCESS IN CACTOPHILIC DROSOPHILA MOJAVENSIS

Ecological speciation occurs with the adaptation of populations to different environments and concurrent evolution of reproductive isolation. Phenotypic plasticity might influence both ecological adaptation and reproductive traits. We examined environment‐specific gene expression and male mating success in cactophilic Drosophila mojavensis using transcriptome sequencing. This species exhibits cactus‐dependent mating success across different species of host plants, with genotype‐by‐environment interactions for numerous traits. We cultured flies from egg to eclosion on two natural cactus hosts and surveyed gene expression in adult males that were either successful or unsuccessful in achieving copulation in courtship trials. We identified gene expression differences that included functions involved with metabolism, most likely related to chemical differences between host cactus species. Several epigenetic‐related functions were identified that might play a role in modulating gene expression in adults due to host cactus effects on larvae, and mating success. Cactus‐dependent mating success involved expression differences of genes implicated in translation, transcription, and nervous system development. This suggests a role of neurological function genes in the mating success of D. mojavensis males. Together, these results suggest that the influence of environmental variation on mating success via regulation of gene expression might be an important aspect of ecological speciation.
Comparison of Parallel Genetic Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization for Real-Time UAV Path Planning

The development of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is of high interest to many governmental and military organizations around the world. An essential aspect of UAV autonomy is the ability for automatic path planning. In this paper, we use the genetic algorithm (GA) and the particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) to cope with the complexity of the problem and compute feasible and quasi-optimal trajectories for fixed wing UAVs in a complex 3D environment, while considering the dynamic properties of the vehicle. The characteristics of the optimal path are represented in the form of a multiobjective cost function that we developed. The paths produced are composed of line segments, circular arcs and vertical helices. We reduce the execution time of our solutions by using the “single-program, multiple-data” parallel programming paradigm and we achieve real-time performance on standard commercial off-the-shelf multicore CPUs. After achieving a quasi-linear speedup of 7.3 on 8 cores and an execution time of 10 s for both algorithms, we conclude that by using a parallel implementation on standard multicore CPUs, real-time path planning for UAVs is possible. Moreover, our rigorous comparison of the two algorithms shows, with statistical significance, that the GA produces superior trajectories to the PSO.
The Meaning of It All

This text presents three recently discovered public lectures from the 60s in which Feynman addresses a non-scientific audience. Feynman attempts to engage an audience with the questions that most inspired and troubled him. Beginning by asking what is the value of science, Feynman goes on to address various related questions: can scientific views be reconciled with religious beliefs? Why in this supposedly scientific age is there such widespread fascination with flying saucers, astrology and martian invasions? How does the media betray the public? What is the value of doubt?
Interspecific Relationships among Growth, Mortality and Xylem Traits of Woody Species from New Zealand

Summary 1. Wood density is considered a key functional trait influencing the growth and survival of woody plants and has been shown to be related to a slow–fast rate-of-living continuum. Wood density is, however, an emergent trait arising from several vascular properties of wood, including the diameter and frequency of xylem conduits. 2. We aimed to test the hypotheses that there is a set of inter-related trade-offs linked to the different functions of wood, that these trade-offs have direct consequences for tree growth and survival and that these trade-offs underlie the observed correlations between wood density and demographic rates. We evaluated the covariation between xylem anatomical traits among woody species of New Zealand and whether that covariation had the potential to constrain variation in wood density and demographic rates. 3. Several xylem traits were strongly correlated with each other, but wood density was not correlated with any of them. We also found no significant relationships between wood density and growth or mortality rate. Instead, growth was strongly related to xylem traits associated with hydraulic capacity (conduit diameter and a conductivity index) and to maximum height, whereas mortality rate was strongly correlated only with maximum height. The diameter and frequency of conduits exhibited a significant negative relationship, suggesting a trade-off, which restricted variation in wood density and growth rate, but not mortality rate. 4. Our results suggest, for woody species in New Zealand, that growth rate is more closely linked to xylem traits determining hydraulic conductance, rather than wood density. We also found no evidence that denser woods conferred higher survival, or that risk of cavitation caused by wide conduits increased mortality. 5. In summary, we found little support for the idea that wood density is a good proxy for position along a fast–slow rate-of-living continuum. Instead, the strong, negative relationship between vessel diameter and frequency may constrain the realized diversity of demographic niches of tree species in New Zealand. Trade-offs in function therefore have the potential to shape functional diversity and ecology of forest communities by linking selection on structure and function to population-level dynamics.
BMP and LIF signaling coordinately regulate lineage restriction of radial glia in the developing forebrain

The earliest radial glia are neural stem cells that guide neural cell migration away from ventricular zones. Subsequently, radial glia become lineage restricted during development before they differentiate into more mature cell types in the CNS. We have previously shown that subpopulations of radial glial cells express markers for glial and neuronal restricted precursors (GRPs and NRPs) in expression patterns that are temporally and spatially regulated during CNS development. To characterize further the mechanism of this regulation in rat forebrain, we tested whether secreted factors that are present during development effect lineage restriction of radial glia. We show here that in radial glial cultures LIF/CNTF up‐regulates, whereas BMP2 down‐regulates GRP antigens recognized by monoclonal antibodies A2B5/4D4. These activities combined with secretion of BMPs dorsally and LIF/CNTF from the choroid plexus provide an explanation for the graded distribution pattern of A2B5/4D4 in dorso‐lateral ventricular regions in vivo. The regulation by LIF/CNTF of A2B5/4D4 is mediated through the JAK‐STAT pathway. BMP2 promotes expression on radial glial cells of the NRP marker polysialic acid most likely by regulating N‐CAM expression itself, as well as at least one polysialyl transferase responsible for synthesis of polysialic acid on N‐CAM. Taken together, these results suggest that generation of lineage‐restricted precursors is coordinately regulated by gradients of the secreted factors BMPs and LIF/CNTF during development of dorsal forebrain. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Developments in school‐based management: The specific case of Queensland, Australia

This history of the politics of moves towards school‐based management in Queensland education is located within a broader historical and political analysis of such moves across Australia since the Karmel Report. This paper specifically focuses in on developments in Queensland. The Queensland analysis traces the moves from Labor’s Focus on Schools through the Coalition’s Leading Schools and the most recent Labor rearticulation in the document Future Directions for School‐based Management in Queensland State Schools. The analysis demonstrates that the concept of school‐based management has no stipulative meaning, but rather is a contested concept. More generally, the paper provides an account and analysis of new forms of governance in educational systems and the tension between centralising and decentralising tendencies as school‐based management is adopted in order to address a number of competing policy objectives.
Understanding Spirituality and Religiosity in the Transgender Community: Implications for Aging

ABSTRACT Given that the established Gerontological literature on the long-term negative impact of violence, abuse, and other negative life events, given that researchers have demonstrated the positive impact of faith, spirituality, and particularly religiosity on long-term health, and given that violence and abuse are a serious, frequent and lifelong experience in the transgender-identified population, we undertook an examination of the religious, spiritual, and faith beliefs and practices of female-to-male (FTM) transgender-identified persons. Results from the FTM survey are herein reported, along with those found in the larger mixed transgender population Transcience Longitudinal Aging Research Study (TLARS). Participants were asked about their religiosity/spirituality/faith beliefs as measured by the Fetzer Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality instrument and by the TLARS survey instrument, violence and abuse sub-component. The researchers found that the religious beliefs of the respondents differed so dramatically from the normative Judeo-Christian-Islamic belief systems on which conventional psychometric instruments are based that many of the survey respondents expressed difficulty in completing the religiosity/spirituality/faith component of the survey. The researchers conclude that traditional instruments are not likely to be effective for the study of religion/spirituality/faith structures in both the narrow FTM and the more general transgender-identified populations. These findings indicate the need for both a comprehensive ethnographic investigation of FTM religious/spiritual/faith structures and also a re-construction of conventional religiosity/spirituality/faith psychometric instruments more reflective of the life experiences of FTM-declared individuals as well as the more generally the transgender-identified population as a whole. From this, it follows that practitioners who work with elders of these populations must be aware of the diverse and non-traditional nature of belief structures and how these mediate life course development and impact late and end of life struggles.
Optimal Noise Reduction in Oversampled PR Filter Banks

This paper studies the optimal noise reduction problem for oversampled filter banks (FBs) with perfect reconstruction (PR) constraint. Both the optimal design and worst case design are considered, where the former caters for the noise with known power spectral density (PSD) and the latter for the noise with unknown PSD. State-space based explicit formulae involving only algebraic Riccati equation and matrix manipulations are provided for the general (IIR or FIR) oversampled PR FBs, and the relations between different cases are analyzed and revealed. Extensive numerical examples are provided to illustrate the proposed design methods and to show their effectiveness.
Performance of IEEE 802.11n with time-frequency impairments over flat fading channels

This paper presents a joint time and frequency synchronization scheme suitable for IEEE 802.11n devices. It is derived theoretical expressions to analyze the performance of the IEEE 802.11n physical layer operating with soft-decision Viterbi decoding over spatial correlated and uncorrelated flat fading Rayleigh channels, with time-frequency impairments and a realistic channel estimation procedure.
The Mosaic Approach and Research with Young Children

The Reality of Research with Children and Young People illustrates the process of carrying out research through thirteen `research stories'. Each story includes a piece of published research, accompanied by a commentary from the author of the research explaining: · the origins of the research · how research questions were formed · factors influencing the choice of methodology and data collection techniques · problems that arose and how these were dealt with · personal reflections on the project. The research examples included in this volume have been carefully selected to demonstrate the reality of researching with children from pre-school age to late adolescence. They reflect the different traditions and variety of methods of collecting data, including interview, evaluation, ethnography, experiment, survey, case study, questionnaire, longitudinal, and standardised assessment.
Histopathologic Features in Vitiligo

Nevus depigmentosus is a congenital disorder characterized by a nonprogressive hypopigmented lesion, which may not be apparent at birth. Thus, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate vitiligo from nevus depigmentosus only by clinical features. We postulated that the histologic changes in lesional and perilesional skin might be different in the 2 conditions. We took biopsies from both lesional and perilesional skin of 100 cases of vitiligo to assess the number of melanocytes, the amount of melanin, dermal inflammatory infiltrate, and other changes. We compared them with 30 cases of nevus depigmentosus. Histologically, lesions of vitiligo showed more basal hypopigmentation and dermal inflammation than perilesional normal skin. With Fontana-Masson staining, 16% of cases of vitiligo showed the presence of melanin. The ratio of pigmented area to epidermal area was 0.06% in vitiligo, whereas 17% in perilesional normal skin and 8.9% in nevus depigmentosus. In NKI/beteb staining, 12% of vitiligo showed the presence of melanocytes, and their average number was 7.68 per square millimeter. The number of melanocytes was also decreased in nevus depigmentosus but not as much as in vitiligo. We also confirmed the presence of melanocytes in 1 of 3 cases of vitiligo by electron microscopy. In conclusion, there are a few melanocytes and melanin in some cases of vitiligo. Therefore, the diagnosis of vitiligo should be made considering these points.
Perspectives on a Decolonizing Approach to Research About Indigenous Women's Health: The Indigenous Women's Wellness Study

This paper explores a decolonizing approach to research about Indigenous women's health in Australia. The paper identifies the strengths of decolonizing methodologies as a way to prioritize Indigenous values and worldviews, develop partnerships between researchers and the researched, and contribute to positive change. The authors draw on Laenui's (2000) five-step model of decolonization to describe their work in the Indigenous Women's Wellness Project in Brisbane, Queensland. They argue that Laenui's model presents a valuable framework for conducting decolonizing research projects about women's health with Australian Indigenous women. The authors demonstrate that working within a decolonizing framework offers autonomy and sustainability for women's wellness activities, while continuing to improve a community's health and wellbeing outcomes.
A new initialization technique for generalized Lloyd iteration

The generalized Lloyd algorithm plays an important role in the design of vector quantizers (VQ) and in feature clustering for pattern recognition. In the VQ context, this algorithm provides a procedure to iteratively improve a codebook and results in a local minimum that minimizes the average distortion function. We propose an efficient method to obtain a good initial codebook that can accelerate the convergence of the generalized Lloyd algorithm and achieve a better local minimum as well. <<ETX>>