Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GPS: A method for data sharing in Mobile Social Networks

In Mobile Social Networks (MSNs), users with specific relationships are usually treated as a community for data sharing. However, the demand of data sharing among distributed strangers also exists. Those users that have the same interest but do not necessarily know or usually encounter each other can form a gossip community and share information. This paper proposes a data dissemination approach, i.e., the Gathering Point-aided Spreading (GPS) algorithm, which explores the encounter pattern of users and the aid of gathering points to facilitate data sharing in the gossip community. Based on the past encounter pattern, the GPS algorithm predicts the encounter probability among users and assigns the best users to carry the data for a wide spreading. Moreover, by storing a copy of data at the gathering points, GPS enables a further sharing of the data even the carriers leave the gathering points. With different utility functions, GPS can be modified into three versions (GPS-DR, GPS-DE and GPS-TR). Simulation experiments show that GPS outperforms SocialCast in both delivery ratio and delay in data sharing. In addition, among the three versions, GPS-DR and GPS-DE perform the best in terms of delivery ratio and delay respectively, while GPS-TR makes a tradeoff between them.
American Risk Perceptions: Is Climate Change Dangerous?

Public risk perceptions can fundamentally compel or constrain political, economic, and social action to address particular risks. Public support or opposition to climate policies (e.g., treaties, regulations, taxes, subsidies) will be greatly influenced by public perceptions of the risks and dangers posed by global climate change. This article describes results from a national study (2003) that examined the risk perceptions and connotative meanings of global warming in the American mind and found that Americans perceived climate change as a moderate risk that will predominantly impact geographically and temporally distant people and places. This research also identified several distinct interpretive communities, including naysayers and alarmists, with widely divergent perceptions of climate change risks. Thus, “dangerous” climate change is a concept contested not only among scientists and policymakers, but among the American public as well.
Voices of Quiet Desistance in UK Prisons: Exploring Emergence of New Identities Under Desistance Constraint

The article explores desistance dynamics within prison, and what gang members say about its phenomenology. Qualitative methodology was adopted with research participants in English and Scottish prisons. The findings indicate that desistance-oriented dispositions develop gradually once gang ties, originating in the street gang, lose the resonance they once exercised on conformity to offending behaviour. This liberation from oppression means not merely that gang members are de facto left to fend for themselves, but also to find a liminal space in which to thrive. It gives them an opportunity to learn and develop prosocial values. Spirituality, a source of personal meaning, supports progression to desistance and fosters distance from the street self. Gang members’ loyalties and conflicts pre-dating incarceration challenge the potential of prison to break criminogenic ties and foster desistance.
Formulation of Broiler Finishing Rations by Quadratic Programming

Abstract Least cost feed mix by linear programming (LP) is a standard economic analysis in the poultry industry. A significant body of nutrition knowledge is now contained in the constraint set of industry LP models. This knowledge might be merged into an improved economic model that contains production response information. Analysis using a quadratic programming model indicated that a leading broiler firm could have improved economic efficiency by increasing protein density and reducing energy density of broiler finisher feed. If applicable industry wide, similar savings could be as high as $120 million per year.
Deconstructing ‘good practice’ teaching videos: an analysis of pre-service teachers’ reflections

Video clips of mathematics lessons are used extensively in pre-service teacher education and continuing professional development activities. Given course time constraints, an opportunity to critique these videos is not always possible. Because of this, and because pre-service teachers make extensive use of material found during internet searches, much of it purporting to exemplify ‘good’ practice, we were interested to know what sense they make of such material. By encouraging pre-service teachers to reflect and comment on the practices being promoted in this way, we wanted to hear what they focused on, their initial views of the teaching and learning shown in the video, and how their views were formed and affected by engaging in discussion. Findings indicate that pre-service teachers’ responses to the material were dominated by their beliefs about mathematics and that engaging in discussion enabled them to appreciate the interpretations of others.
Monocytes, Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells, and THP-1 Cells Exhibit Different Cytokine Expression Patterns following Stimulation with Lipopolysaccharide

THP-1 cells are widely applied to mimic monocytes in cell culture models. In this study, we compared the cytokine release from THP-1, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), monocytes, or whole blood after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and investigated the consequences of different cytokine profiles on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) activation. While Pseudomonas aeruginosa-stimulated (10 ng/mL) THP-1 secreted similar amounts of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) as monocytes and PBMC, they produced lower amounts of interleukin(IL)-8 and no IL-6 and IL-10. Whole blood required a higher concentration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1000 ng/mL) to induce cytokine release than isolated monocytes or PBMC (10 ng/mL). HUVEC secreted more IL-6 and IL-8 after stimulation with conditioned medium derived from whole blood than from THP-1, despite equal concentrations of TNF-α in both media. Specific adsorption of TNF-α or selective cytokine adsorption from the conditioned media prior to HUVEC stimulation significantly reduced HUVEC activation. Our findings show that THP-1 differ from monocytes, PBMC, and whole blood with respect to cytokine release after stimulation with LPS. Additionally, we could demonstrate that adsorption of inflammatory mediators results in reduced endothelial activation, which supports the concept of extracorporeal mediator modulation as supportive therapy for sepsis.
Thymoquinone-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carrier Exhibited Cytotoxicity towards Breast Cancer Cell Lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and Cervical Cancer Cell Lines (HeLa and SiHa)

Thymoquinone (TQ) has been shown to exhibit antitumor properties. Thymoquinone-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (TQ-NLC) was developed to improve the bioavailability and cytotoxicity of TQ. This study was conducted to determine the cytotoxic effects of TQ-NLC on breast cancer (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa and SiHa). TQ-NLC was prepared by applying the hot high pressure homogenization technique. The mean particle size of TQ-NLC was 35.66 ± 0.1235 nm with a narrow polydispersity index (PDI) lower than 0.25. The zeta potential of TQ-NLC was greater than −30 mV. Polysorbate 80 helps to increase the stability of TQ-NLC. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that TQ-NLC has a melting point of 56.73°C, which is lower than that of the bulk material. The encapsulation efficiency of TQ in TQ-NLC was 97.63 ± 0.1798% as determined by HPLC analysis. TQ-NLC exhibited antiproliferative activity towards all the cell lines in a dose-dependent manner which was most cytotoxic towards MDA-MB-231 cells. Cell shrinkage was noted following treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells with TQ-NLC with an increase of apoptotic cell population (P < 0.05). TQ-NLC also induced cell cycle arrest. TQ-NLC was most cytotoxic towards MDA-MB-231 cells. It induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the cells.
Reduced Parasite Burden in Children with Falciparum Malaria and Bacteremia Coinfections: Role of Mediators of Inflammation

Bacteremia and malaria coinfection is a common and life-threatening condition in children residing in sub-Saharan Africa. We previously showed that coinfection with Gram negative (G[−]) enteric Bacilli and Plasmodium falciparum (Pf[+]) was associated with reduced high-density parasitemia (HDP, >10,000 parasites/μL), enhanced respiratory distress, and severe anemia. Since inflammatory mediators are largely unexplored in such coinfections, circulating cytokines were determined in four groups of children (n = 206, aged <3 yrs): healthy; Pf[+] alone; G[−] coinfected; and G[+] coinfected. Staphylococcus aureus and non-Typhi Salmonella were the most frequently isolated G[+] and G[−] organisms, respectively. Coinfected children, particularly those with G[−] pathogens, had lower parasite burden (peripheral and geometric mean parasitemia and HDP). In addition, both coinfected groups had increased IL-4, IL-5, IL-7, IL-12, IL-15, IL-17, IFN-γ, and IFN-α and decreased TNF-α relative to malaria alone. Children with G[−] coinfection had higher IL-1β and IL-1Ra and lower IL-10 than the Pf[+] group and higher IFN-γ than the G[+] group. To determine how the immune response to malaria regulates parasitemia, cytokine production was investigated with a multiple mediation model. Cytokines with the greatest mediational impact on parasitemia were IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, and IFN-γ. Results here suggest that enhanced immune activation, especially in G[−] coinfected children, acts to reduce malaria parasite burden.
Ethnic background as a risk factor for advanced age-related macular degeneration in Israel.

BACKGROUND Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of legal blindness in the developed world including Israel. Ethnic background is a risk factor for advanced AMD in several populations, however the relative prevalence of this disease in different ethnic groups in the Middle East is unknown. OBJECTIVES To compare the prevalence of advanced AMD in Arabs and Jews in Israel. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of two independent groups of patients: the first group comprised a sequential series of Jerusalem residents who underwent photodynamic therapy for neovascular AMD (PDT group), and the second group consisted of all individuals in Jerusalem who received a blind certificate due to AMD (legal blindness group). Control groups were assessed to exclude inherited ethnic associated bias in the two study groups. RESULTS The PDT group included 146 patients: 142 were Jews (97.3%) and 4 were Arabs (2.7%). The legal blindness group included 340 Jerusalem residents: 326 Jews (96%) and 14 Arabs (4%). The number of Arab AMD patients in the two groups was lower than expected based on the ethnic composition of the age-matched Jerusalem population (P = 0.0002 for the PDT group, and P < 0.0001 for the legal blindness group). By contrast, the number of non-AMD Arab patients who were treated in the same clinic and the number of Arabs who received a blind certificate for diabetic retinopathy was not different from expected based on their relative number in the Jerusalem population. CONCLUSIONS Advanced AMD is less common in the Arab than the Jewish population of Jerusalem. Genetic and environmental factors may account for this difference. A population-based study is required to assess the overall prevalence of AMD in Jews and Arabs.
How We Transmit Memories to Other Brains: Constructing Shared Neural Representations Via Communication

Humans are able to mentally construct an episode when listening to another person’s recollection, even though they themselves did not experience the events. However, it is unknown how strongly the neural patterns elicited by mental construction resemble those found in the brain of the individual who experienced the original events. Using fMRI and a verbal communication task, we traced how neural patterns associated with viewing specific scenes in a movie are encoded, recalled, and then transferred to a group of naïve listeners. By comparing neural patterns across the three conditions, we report, for the first time, that event-specific neural patterns observed in the default mode network are shared across the encoding, recall, and construction of the same real-life episode. This study uncovers the intimate correspondences between memory encoding and event construction, and highlights the essential role our common language plays in the process of transmitting one's memories to other brains.
Ironic effects of feedback on contingency of self-worth: Why self-reports of contingency are biased

Abstract Contingent self-worth has been studied as an individual differences variable affecting how self-relevant information is processed. We examined the effects of self-relevant information on contingent self-worth as a dependent variable. In Experiment 1 (N = 79, college students), participants’ performance contingency was higher after negative than positive performance feedback. In Experiment 2 (N = 3764, community sample), social approval and appearance contingencies were lower in a social approval condition than in control conditions. Mediation analyses suggested this effect was mediated by enhanced self-esteem. Thus, self-esteem increased due to the very source that participants came to regard as less important: Social approval. Results are explained in terms of sociometer theory and limited introspection abilities: All self-esteem is sensitive to external contingencies, people just become more aware of this when it is threatened.
“Everything That We Can Do”: A Content Analysis of the Protective Strategies Used by GLBTQ Parents

ABSTRACT Despite increased access to parenting rights through legal marriage and adoption, U.S. gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ) parents continue to experience varying levels of support for their families. This study explored protective strategies, or actions taken to meet one's safety needs when vulnerable, that GLBTQ parents pursue. This study included 454 GLBTQ parents from a national survey. Participants' open-ended responses about protective strategies were extracted from the survey and analyzed using content analysis. Responses were coded into 10 categories capturing strategies GLBTQ parents used to protect their families. While strategies utilizing legal supports were common, the most cited strategies were symbolic strategies, including creating a family name and developing written statements of parent wishes. Exploratory analyses revealed no difference in mean number of strategies used between parents who reported having legal status as a parent through adoption or listing on the birth certificate and those without legal parenting status. These results suggest that GLBTQ parents, regardless of their legal parenting status, take intentional measures to achieve a sense of safety and increase social support. The findings reiterate the importance of both legal and social support of GLBTQ parents.
A Naturalist Approach to Music File Name Analysis

Music title identification is a key ingredient of contentbased electronic music distribution. Because of the lack of standards in music identification – or the lack of enforcement of existing standards – there is a huge amount of unidentified music files in the world. We propose here an identification mechanism that exploits the information possibly contained in the file name itself. We study large corpora of files whose names are decided by humans without particular constraints other than readability, and draw various hypotheses concerning the natural syntaxes that emerge from these corpora. A central hypothesis is the local syntactic consistency, which claims that file name syntaxes, whatever they are, are locally consistent within clusters of related music files. These heuristics allow to parse successfully file names without knowing their syntax a priori, using statistical measures on clusters of files, rather than on parsing files on a strict individual basis. Based on these validated hypothesis we propose a heuristics-based parsing system and illustrate it in the context of an Electronic Music Distribution project.
Taking More, Now

Impulsivity is a stable personality trait associated with myopic choice behavior that favors immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards and is often characterized as maladaptive inside and outside of the laboratory. An alternative view suggests that the consequences of trait impulsivity depend on the nature of the task environment. On this view, the optimal level of impulsivity varies across task payoff structures. This hypothesis is tested in two dynamic decision-making tasks that differ in the relative payoffs of delayed and immediate rewards. In a task that favors delayed rewards to immediate rewards, high-impulsive participants perform worse than low-impulsive participants. In contrast, in a task that favors immediate rewards over delayed rewards, high-impulsive participants outperform low-impulsive participants. These results suggest a more nuanced conceptualization of trait impulsivity as it applies to rewards-related decision making that may help explain the variability observed in this trait across individuals.
Effects of Task-Oriented Circuit Class Training on Physical Fitness of Stroke Survivors

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of task-oriented circuit class training on physical fitness of stroke survivors in the early stages of stroke rehabilitation. Method: This study involved twenty (20) hemiparetic stroke survivors with ten (10) participants each in the task-oriented circuit class training group (TCCTG) and the non-circuit class training group (NCCTG). Participants in TCCTG underwent supervised TCCT with duration of 80 minutes per session, three times per week for 8 weeks in addition to conventional physiotherapy. Assessments were done at baseline and week 8 using resting heart rate (RHR), 5-minute heart rate recovery (5-min HRR), blood pressure (BP), 6–minute walk test (6-MWT), 10-metre walk test (10-MWT) and functional ambulatory category (FAC) score as outcome measures. Results: There were significant reductions in RHR, 5-min HRR, SBP and DBP (p<0.05) with significant increases in 6-MWT, 10-MWT and FAC score (p<0.05) within the TCCTG. However, only the 6-MWT and 10-MWT showed significant differences (p=0.0432 and p=0.0121) in the NCCTG. The means of RHR, 5-min HRR, SBP and DBP were significantly lower in the TCCTG than the NCCTG (p<0.05). Also, at week 8, there were significant increases in 6-MWT, 10-MWT and FAC score (p<0.05) in the TCCTG compared to the NCCTG. Conclusion: Task-oriented circuit class training can improve both physical fitness and functional capacity in stroke survivors in the early stages of stroke rehabilitation. Emmanuel, Frimpong,Assistant Lecturer Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical and Allied health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Ghana E-mail:frimemma@gmail.com/efrimpong@chs.ug.edu.gh. Charles, Antwi-Boasiako,Senior Lecturer Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical and Allied health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Ghana; E-mail: antwiboasiako@chs.edu.gh. Edward, Ababio, Senior Physiotherapist Department of Physiotherapy, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana E-mail:edwardababio@yahoo.com John, Ahenkorah, Lecturer Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical and Allied health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Ghana; E-mail:jahenkorah@ug.edu.gh; daajohnny@yahoo.com Olajide, A. , Olawale, Associate Professor Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria Email:jideolawale@yahoo.com
RainbowRate: MIMO rate adaptation in 802.11n WiLD links

Legacy 802.11b/g protocols have been successfully applied in wireless long-distance (WiLD) networks to provide low-cost network connectivity for rural areas and developing countries, by designing TDMA MAC protocols. In contrast, we investigate the performance, and enhancement of using 802.11n for WiLD networks still using CSMA/CA. Our extensive experiments from our testbed show that, although 802.11n with CSMA/CA can provide network connectivity in WiLD environment, it suffers from poor performance. We thus propose RainbowRate, an efficient rate adaptation mechanism specified for WiLD links. RainbowRate leverages unique features found in WiLD links. We implement RainbowRate in off-the-shelf platforms and evaluate various aspects of our design using a testbed consisting of 6 mesh routers and 7 long-distance links, with the longest link length 20 km. Our experiment results show that RainbowRate out-performs state-of-the-art RA algorithms (MiRA, Ath9k and Minstrel) significantly in terms of throughput.
Modeling customer relationships as Markov chains

INTRODUCTION The lifetime value of a customer is an important and useful concept in interactive marketing. Courtheaux (1986) illustrates its usefulness for a number of managerial problems—the most obvious if not the most important being the budgeting of marketing expenditures for customer acquisition. It can also be used to help allocate spending across media (mail vs. telephone vs. television), vehicles (list A vs. list B), and programs (free gift vs. special price), as well as to inform decisions with respect to retaining existing customers (see, e.g., Hughes, 1997). Jackson (1996) even argues that its use helps firms to achieve a strategic competitive advantage. Dwyer (1989) helped to popularize the lifetime value (LTV) concept by illustrating the calculation of LTV for both a customer retention and a customer migration situation. Customer retention refers to situations in which customers who are not retained are considered lost for good. In a customer retention situation, nonresponse signals the end of the firm’s relationship with the customer. In contrast, customer migration situations are those in which nonresponse does not necessarily signal the end of the relationship. Besides articulating this distinction between customer retention and migration, Dwyer listed several impediments to the use of LTV. More recently, Berger and Nasr (1998) argue for the impor-
Fast Extrinsic Calibration of a Laser Rangefinder to a Camera

External calibration of a camera to a laser rangefinder is a common pre-requisite on today’s multi-sensor mobile robot platforms. However, the process of doing so is relatively poorly documented and almost always time-consuming. This document outlines an easy and portable technique for external calibration of a camera to a laser rangefinder. It describes the usage of the Laser-Camera Calibration Toolbox (LCCT), a Matlab R -based graphical user interface that is meant to accompany this document and facilitates the calibration procedure. We also summarize the math behind its development. The software is accessible online at www.cs. cmu.edu/ ranjith/lcct.html, as well as at the VMR Lab Software page at www.cs. cmu.edu/ vmr/software/ software.html .