Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Host Fingerprinting and Tracking on the Web: Privacy and Security Implications

Many web services aim to track clients as a basis for analyzing their behavior and providing personalized services. Despite much debate regarding the collection of client information, there have been few quantitative studies that analyze the effectiveness of host-tracking and the associated privacy risks. In this paper, we perform a large-scale study to quantify the amount of information revealed by common host identifiers. We analyze month-long anonymized datasets collected by the Hotmail web-mail service and the Bing search engine, which include millions of hosts across the global IP address space. In this setting, we compare the use of multiple identifiers, including browser information, IP addresses, cookies, and user login IDs. We further demonstrate the privacy and security implications of host-tracking in two contexts. In the first, we study the causes of cookie churn in web services, and show that many returning users can still be tracked even if they clear cookies or utilize private browsing. In the second, we show that host-tracking can be leveraged to improve security. Specifically, by aggregating information across hosts, we uncover a stealthy malicious attack associated with over 75,000 bot accounts that forward cookies to distributed locations. This work was done while Ting-Fang was an intern at Microsoft Research. Martin Abadi is also affiliated with the University of California, Santa Cruz.
On varying the difficulty of test items

This paper discusses the practice of varying the difficulty of test items in educational measurement. An item difficulty framework comprising concepts such as content difficulty, stimulus difficulty, task difficulty and expected response difficulty is introduced. The paper concludes with some suggestions on how to vary the difficulty of test items. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and are not to be taken as official policy and practice of the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board.
Active Self-Paced Learning for Cost-Effective and Progressive Face Identification

This paper aims to develop a novel cost-effective framework for face identification, which progressively maintains a batch of classifiers with the increasing face images of different individuals. By naturally combining two recently rising techniques: active learning (AL) and self-paced learning (SPL), our framework is capable of automatically annotating new instances and incorporating them into training under weak expert recertification. We first initialize the classifier using a few annotated samples for each individual, and extract image features using the convolutional neural nets. Then, a number of candidates are selected from the unannotated samples for classifier updating, in which we apply the current classifiers ranking the samples by the prediction confidence. In particular, our approach utilizes the high-confidence and low-confidence samples in the self-paced and the active user-query way, respectively. The neural nets are later fine-tuned based on the updated classifiers. Such heuristic implementation is formulated as solving a concise active SPL optimization problem, which also advances the SPL development by supplementing a rational dynamic curriculum constraint. The new model finely accords with the “instructor-student-collaborative” learning mode in human education. The advantages of this proposed framework are two-folds: i) The required number of annotated samples is significantly decreased while the comparable performance is guaranteed. A dramatic reduction of user effort is also achieved over other state-of-the-art active learning techniques. ii) The mixture of SPL and AL effectively improves not only the classifier accuracy compared to existing AL/SPL methods but also the robustness against noisy data. We evaluate our framework on two challenging datasets, which include hundreds of persons under diverse conditions, and demonstrate very promising results. Please find the code of this project at: http://hcp.sysu. edu.cn/projects/aspl/.
Career and work attitudes of blue-collar workers, and the impact of a natural disaster chance event on the relationships between intention to quit and actual quit behaviour

Despite being part of a highly visible and important occupational group, blue-collar workers have, to date, been under-represented in careers research. We explore the relevance and applicability of new career concepts to blue-collar employees, specifically, bus drivers. Based on a survey of 112 bus drivers, we test a model specifying the relationship between career attitude, perceived organizational support, psychological contract, and job satisfaction, as well as intention to quit. Employing a two-phase data collection process, we also test relationships between intentions and actual quit behaviour. Our results support the validity of career theories for blue-collar workers but with notable exceptions, such as lack of relationships between protean career and intention to quit. Contrary to intention-behaviour theory we find that actual quit behaviour was not related to intention to quit, which we attribute to a significant external chance event, a devastating earthquake, which took place during the study period. In addition, we identify relationships that appear to be unique to blue-collar workers.
Enduring amnesia induced by ICV scopolamine is reversed by sesame oil in male rats.

PURPOSE To evaluated the long-term effect of scopolamine and sesame oil on spatial memory. METHODS Memory impairment induced by Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of scopolamine hydrochloride (10 μg/ rat). Animals were gavaged for 4 weeks with saline, sesame oil (0.5, 1, or 2 mL/kg/day), or 3 weeks with memantine (30 mg/kg/day) in advance to induction of amnesia. Morris water maze (MWM) test was conducted 6 days after microinjection of scopolamine. Then, blood and brain samples were collected and evaluated for the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities, and total antioxidant status (TAS) and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP). RESULTS Scopolamine significantly decreased traveled distance and time spent in target quadrant in probe test. Pretreatment of rats with sesame oil (0.5 mg/kg) mitigated scopolamine-induced behavioral alterations. Measurement of MDA, SOD, and GPX in brain tissue, and FRAP and TAS in blood showed little changes in animals which had received scopolamine or sesame oil. CONCLUSIONS Intracerebroventricular injection of scopolamine has a residual effect on memory after six days. Sesame oil has an improving effect on spatial memory; however this effect is possibly mediated by mechanisms other than antioxidant effect of sesame oil.
Specifically requesting surgical tattoo removal: are deep personal motivations involved?

Background Motivations for tattoo removal include employment reasons, stigmata, changes in lifestyles or partners, incompatibility with present attitudes and values and clothing problems. Most studies on the motivations for tattoo removal have focused on patients seeking laser therapy. We hypothesized that patients seeking surgical tattoo removal would present with different motivations.
Multilevel analysis of the effects of leardership styles, decision making strategies and personality on decision-making process in schools Liderlik stilleri, karar verme stratejileri ve kişiliğin okullardaki karar sürecine etkilerinin çok düzeyli analizi

This study aims to identify factors that are effective on decision making at school, to analyse how these processes occur, to investigate whether decision making processes differ from school to school; and to demonstrate whether decision making processes at schools are associated with personality, decision making strategies and principals’ leadership. The research was conducted during 2012-2013 academic year in central districts of Ankara. It covered a total number of 473 participants (22 principals and 449 teachers), who work in 24 different elementary schools. In order to collect necessary data for the research, Adjective Based Personality Scale (Bacanli, Ilhan and Aslan, 2009), Leadership Styles Scale (Cuhadaroglu, 2008) and Decision-Making Questionnaire at School and Decision Making Process Questionnaire at School, which were developed by the authors, were employed in this study. In analysing the data, two-level hierarchical linear model technique was used. According to the research findings, the most important factors in decision making at schools are deputy principals, senior education managers and teachers. The least effective ones are citizens that are not custodians for students, non-educative personnel at school and representatives of non-governmental organisations. Ozet Bu calismada, okullarda karar verme surecinde etkili olan faktorlerin neler oldugu, okulda karar sureclerinin nasil gerceklestigi, karar verme sureclerinin okullara gore farklilasip farklilasmadigi ve okullardaki karar verme sureclerinin kisilik, karar verme stratejileri ve okul mudurunun liderligi ile iliskili olup olmadiginin ortaya konulmasi amaclanmaktadir. Arastirma, 2012-2013 egitim ve ogretim yilinda, Ankara ili merkez ilcelerindeki 24 ilkogretim okulunda gorev yapan 22 okul muduru ve 449 ogretmen olmak uzere toplam 473 katilimci ile gerceklestirilmistir. Arastirma icin gerekli verilerin toplanmasi amaciyla Sifatlara Dayali Kisilik Testi (Bacanli, Ilhan ve Aslan, 2009) ve Liderlik Stilleri Olcegi (Cuhadaroglu, 2008) ve arastirmacilar tarafindan gelistirilen Okulda Karar Alma Anketi ve Okulda Karar Alma Sureci Olcegi kullanilmistir. Verilerin analizinde iki duzeyli hiyerarsik dogrusal model teknigi kullanilmistir. Arastirma sonuclarina gore, okullarda karar aliminda en etkili olan faktorler mudur yardimcilari, ust duzey egitim yoneticileri ve ogretmenlerdir. En az etkili olanlar ise ogrenci velisi olmayan vatandaslar, okuldaki egitici olmayan personel ve sivil toplum kurulusu temsilcileridir.
Adolescent Sleep Patterns: Contents

List of contributors Foreword William C. Dement Preface Mary A. Carskadon 1. Sleep and adolescence: a social psychologist's perspective Stanford M. Dornbusch 2. Factors influencing sleep patterns of adolescents Mary A. Carskadon 3. Endocrine changes associated with puberty and adolescence Gary S. Richardson and Barbara A. Tate 4. Maturational changes in sleep-wake timing: longitudinal studies of the circadian activity rhythm of a diurnal rodent Barbara A. Tate, Gary S. Richardson and Mary A. Carskadon 5. Nutrition and circadian activity offset in adolescent rhesus monkeys Mari S. Golub, Peter T. Takeuchi and Tana M. Hoban-Higgins 6. Toward a comparative developmental ecology of human sleep Carol M. Worthman and Melissa K. Melby 7. Sleep patterns of high school students living in Sao Paulo, Brazil Miriam Andrade and L. Menna-Barreto 8. Sleep patterns and daytime function in adolescence: an epidemiological survey of an Italian high school student sample Flavia Giannotti and Flavia Cortesi 9. Risks of driving while sleepy in adolescents and young adults Mary A. Carskadon 10. What can the study of work scheduling tell us about adolescent sleep? Roger H. Rosa 11. Accommodating the sleep patterns of adolescents within current educational structures: an uncharted path Kyla L. Wahlstrom 12. Bridging the gap between research and practice: what will adolescents' sleep-wake patterns look like in the twenty-first century? Amy R. Wolfson 13. Influence of irregular sleep patterns on waking behavior Christine Acebo and Mary A. Carskadon 14. Stress and sleep in adolescence: a clinical-developmental perspective Avi Sadeh and Reut Gruber 15. The search for vulnerability signatures for depression in high-risk adolescents: mechanisms and significance James T. McCracken 16. The regulation of sleeparousal, affect, and attention in adolescence: some questions and speculations Ronald E. Dahl Index.
‘Rock music for myself and justice to the world!’: Musical identity, values, and music preferences

The present study examined the relationship between music preferences, values, and musical identities in a sample of 606 Greek college students. Students indicated the importance of music in defining and evaluating themselves and their values on an abbreviated version of the Schwartz Value Survey (Schwartz, 1992). A typology of music preferences was revealed, with five factors: sophisticated and complex (e.g., jazz); native-Greek traditional (e.g., ‘rebetika’); sentimental and sensational (e.g., pop); established rebellious (e.g., rock); and non-mainstream dissonant (e.g., punk). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that values and perceived importance of music to self-definition (i.e., musical identities) contribute differentially in predicting the music preference structures, for example self-transcendence predicted established rebellious and conservation predicted sentimental and sensational; also musical identity was positively related to established rebellious and negatively to sentimental and sensational. These findings are discussed and interpreted within a psychological, as well as an interdisciplinary, theoretical framework.
Isolated tear of the anterior cruciate ligament: 5-year follow-up study

During the period 1967 to 1971, 64 cadets at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, had surgical repair for isolated tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. In a 5-year follow-up study to determine the functional impairment, present disability, and reinjury to the knee, 32 of the 64 patients were located and evaluated by radiographic examination and either by interview or by questionnaire. Twenty-two were commissioned to full duty. 23 had attended ranger or airborne school, and 16 had been in combat. Impairment of ordinary activities was noted by 12 and impairment of athletic endeavors by 24; pain by 71%; swelling by 66%; stiffness by 71%; and instability by 94%. Seventeen of the 32 had had a significant reinjury after the repair of the anterior cruciate ligament. Clinically, we can diagnose the isolated tear of the anterior cruciate ligament by four essential ingredients--a pop at time of injury, inability to continue participation, gross swelling of knee, and maximal swelling within 12 hr. The mechanism of injury is usually deceleration and change of direction, not contact with another player. The follow-up study on this small series indicates that the patients have progressive deterioration of the knee.
Early causes of child obesity and implications for prevention

Child obesity is becoming a serious public health concern, and major research effort is being devoted both to understand its aetiology and to improve the effectiveness of prevention strategies. Early growth patterns, both prenatally and postnatally, are emerging as important markers of later obesity risk, with rapid neonatal weight gain a clear risk factor for later obesity and metabolic syndrome. Thus, in two distinct senses child obesity is a growing problem. The paper summarises current evidence on growth pattern and obesity, relating it to infant feeding practice and appetite regulation, and highlights the areas in which public health interventions are feasible. Of the conclusions drawn, one involves a futuristic solution to child obesity where neonates are given an infusion of the hormone leptin to reset their appetite regulation.
Diisopropylammonium Bromide Is a High-Temperature Molecular Ferroelectric Crystal

Environmentally Friendly Ferroelectrics Ferroelectrics—which are widely used as piezo elements, sensors, and actuators—maintain charge polarization even in the absence of an external electric field. The best ferroelectric properties are found in perovskites such as barium titanate (BTO) and lead zirconate titanate; however, environmentally friendly, lead-free alternatives are highly desirable. Fu et al. (p. 425; see the Perspective by Bonnell) find that the organic molecular crystal diisopropylammonium bromide has ferroelectric properties comparable to those of BTO and may represent a viable alternative to perovskites. An organic molecular crystal is found to have ferroelectric properties comparable to those of barium titanate. [Also see Perspective by Bonnell] Molecular ferroelectrics are highly desirable for their easy and environmentally friendly processing, light weight, and mechanical flexibility. We found that diisopropylammonium bromide (DIPAB), a molecular crystal processed from aqueous solution, is a ferroelectric with a spontaneous polarization of 23 microcoulombs per square centimeter [close to that of barium titanate (BTO)], high Curie temperature of 426 kelvin (above that of BTO), large dielectric constant, and low dielectric loss. DIPAB exhibits good piezoelectric response and well-defined ferroelectric domains. These attributes make it a molecular alternative to perovskite ferroelectrics and ferroelectric polymers in sensing, actuation, data storage, electro-optics, and molecular or flexible electronics.
Inferring Profile Elements from Publicly Available Social Network Data

We investigate methods for inferring attribute values from publicly available profile from social networking platforms. These methods are not intended to attack the privacy of specific users but are intended to be usable on large datasets that can be used for large scale data-mining. We discuss attribute specific methods and put a special focus on methods using the friend-network of a user, either by weighting or selecting relations according to sub-network density.
An examination of social desirability confounds in a new ipsative measure of Murray's Psychogenic Needs

A reliable and valid instrument for the direct measurement of the relative strength of psychological needs is currently lacking. In response to this shortcoming, a new ipsative instrument, the Psychogenic Need Scale (PNS), is currently being developed; this is a 190-item forced-choice self-report measure that is based upon Murray’s psychogenic needs. For the development of a valid forced-choice instrument, it is critical to minimise the confounding effects of social desirability (the tendency for respondents to describe oneself in the most favourable light). Whilst other measures typically use specifically designed scales to detect social desirability confounds, this approach is unsuitable for forced-choice measures that require respondents to choose between paired statements. Instead, a preferable approach is to reduce or, ideally, eliminate social desirability confounds by ensuring that the two alternative statements in each item pair are equally desirable. However, because the PNS is in the preliminary stages of development, the statements’ relative social desirability levels had not yet been systematically investigated. Thus, it was not known whether or not the statements were equally desirable. Accordingly, I attempted this stage of the test's construction. Two main objectives were addressed. The first was to examine the test statements in order to determine whether or not they shared sufficiently equal levels of social desirability. The second was to equalise any differences (should they be detected) by rewording problematic statements to either reduce or increase their social desirability as needed. Upon initial investigation (Phase One of Study One), it was confirmed that there were differences among the statements. Thus, several attempts were made to equalise the relative social desirability levels. After a series of four studies, whereby statements with markedly high or low levels were repeatedly reworded and reexamined, some of the differences were effectively reduced. However, despite these reductions, the overall results demonstrate that problematic differences still exist. It was An Ipsative Measure of Psychogenic Needs ii concluded that some statements in the PNS are likely to be inherently confounded with high or low social desirability and, thus, cannot be sufficiently adjusted without disrupting the validity of the constructs that they are supposed to measure. On that basis, it is likely that a valid forced-choice measure of Murray’s psychogenic needs is not achievable. The declaration page is not included in this version of the thesis An Ipsative Measure of Psychogenic Needs iv
HARQ Control Scheme by Fuzzy Q-Learning for HSPA+

In this paper, we propose a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) control scheme by using fuzzy Q-learning algorithm for high speed packet access evolution (HSPA+) systems. The challenge of the HARQ control in HSPA+ systems is the selection of MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) configuration mode and MCS (modulation and coding scheme) level for new data transmission of HARQ, under the situation that the channel quality indication has report delay. The fuzzy Q-learning-based HARQ (FQL-HARQ) scheme can determine an appropriate MIMO configuration mode and MCS level for new data transmission so as to maximize the system throughput under the guaranteed block error rate (BLER) requirement. Simulation results show that, the proposed FQL-HARQ scheme increases the system throughput by up to 70.09 % as compared to the conventional adaptive threshold method [4]
Impact of Postdeposition Annealing Ambient on the Mobility of Ge nMOSFETs With 1-nm EOT Al2O3/GeOx/Ge Gate-Stacks

The impact of postdeposition annealing (PDA) ambient on electrical properties of thin equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/GeO<sub>x</sub>/Ge gate-stacks is investigated. It is found that the surface states inside the conduction band of Ge are significantly suppressed by 40% through PDA with atomic deuterium ambient. As a result, enhancement of the effective mobility in the Ge nMOSFETs is realized in high normal field region. The electron mobility of 396 cm<sup>2</sup>/Vs is achieved at N<sub>s</sub> of 10<sup>13</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup> with small EOT of ~1 nm, which is similar to the highest mobility reported so far at such small EOT range.
Difficulty and Other Correlates of Criticalness Response Style At the Item Level

LARGELY as a result of Cronbach’s (1946; 1950) reviews of the early literature on response sets-or response styles-on tests, the view is widely held that tests and test items that are difficult or ambiguous are most affected by those response styles, such as acquiescence, evasiveness, and extremeness, that are linked to the response format. Despite the prevalence of this view, the results of relevant studies are not altogether convincing, and are largely limited to two response styles-acquiescence, and the position of the chosen alternative on multiple-choice tests. One major group of relevant studies examined acquiescence on tests or items of varying difficulty or ambiguity. Only one of the studies (Gage, Leavitt, and Stone, 1957) concerns the difficulty issue. In a comparison of difficult and easy general information items, the reliability of the number of true responses was . 68 for