Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Substitution-Permutation Networks, Pseudorandom Functions, and Natural Proofs

This article takes a new step towards closing the gap between pseudorandom functions (PRF) and their popular, bounded-input-length counterparts. This gap is both quantitative, because these counterparts are more efficient than PRF in various ways, and methodological, because these counterparts usually fit in the substitution-permutation network paradigm (SPN), which has not been used to construct PRF. We give several candidate PRF Fi that are inspired by the SPN paradigm. Most of our candidates are more efficient than previous ones. Our main candidates are as follows. —F1 : {0,1}n → {0,1}n is an SPN whose S-box is a random function on b bits given as part of the seed. We prove that F1 resists attacks that run in time ≤ 2εb. —F2 : {0,1}n → {0,1}n is an SPN where the S-box is (patched) field inversion, a common choice in practical constructions. We show that F2 is computable with boolean circuits of size n ⋅ logO(1) n and that it has exponential security 2Ω(n) against linear and differential cryptanalysis. —F3 : {0,1}n → {0,1} is a nonstandard variant on the SPN paradigm, where “states” grow in length. We show that F3 is computable with TC0 circuits of size n1 + ε, for any ε > 0, and that it is almost 3-wise independent. —F4 : {0,1}n → {0,1} uses an extreme setting of the SPN parameters (one round, one S-box, no diffusion matrix). The S-box is again (patched) field inversion. We show that F4 is computable by circuits of size n ⋅ logO(1) n and that it fools all parity tests on ≤20.9n outputs. Assuming the security of our candidates, our work narrows the gap between the Natural Proofs barrier and existing lower bounds in three models: circuits, TC0 circuits, and Turing machines.
Collective self‐esteem consequences of outgroup derogation when a valued social identity is on trial

A structural equation model tested the role of degree of identification with a group (Americans) and level of collective self-esteem as determinants of outgroup derogation under identity-threatening and non-threatening conditions. High identification and reductions in collective self-esteem following a threat to that identity lead to outgroup derogation, but level of collective self-esteem did not predict outgroup derogation in the no-threat condition. The consequences of derogating both threat-relevant (Russians) and threat-irrelevant nationalities for subsequent self-esteem were assessed. As predicted by social identity theory, higher amounts of derogation of the threat-relevant outgroup in the identity-threatened condition elevated subsequent collective self-esteem. Derogation of threat-irrelevant outgroups did not have this positive esteem consequence; in fact, increased derogation of irrelevant outgroups reduced subsequent self-esteem. In the no-threat condition, amount of derogation directed towards either type of outgroup did not significantly influence subsequent self-esteem, with the overall pattern being opposite to what was observed in the threat condition. Implications for theories concerning self-processes as instigators of outgroup derogation and the consequences of intergroup comparisons for collective self-esteem are discussed.
Cellular Uptake and Efflux of Azithromycin, Erythromycin, Clarithromycin, Telithromycin, and Cethromycin

ABSTRACT Macrolide antibiotics have an outstanding ability to concentrate within host cells, particularly phagocytes. In the study described in this paper five different macrolide antibiotics were compared regarding the uptake and release kinetics in human peripheral blood polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and three different cell lines, two phagocytic cell lines (RAW 264.7 and THP-1) and an epithelial cell line (MDCK). Based on the results obtained, the substances tested could be clustered into different groups. Azithromycin constituted the first group, characterized by rapid and nonsaturable uptake into phagocytic cells and a high degree of retention in the preloaded cells. The second group included erythromycin and clarithromycin. These two substances do not exhibit cell specificity; consequently, they are taken up to a similar extent and are released by all cell types studied. Ketolides constituted the last group. Their uptake was saturable in cells of monocytic lineage as well as in nondifferentiated cells of myeloid lineage, and they were rapidly released from all the cell lines studied. However, in PMNs, ketolide uptake was not saturable; and unlike telithromycin, cethromycin rapidly egressed from the loaded cells.
Regional expression of Pax7 in the brain of Xenopus laevis during embryonic and larval development

Pax7 is a member of the highly conserved Pax gene family that is expressed in restricted zones of the central nervous system (CNS) during development, being involved in early brain regionalization and the maintenance of the regional identity. Using sensitive immunohistochemical techniques we have analyzed the spatiotemporal pattern of Pax7 expression in the brain of the anuran amphibian Xenopus laevis, during development. Pax7 expression was first detected in early embryos in the basal plate of prosomere 3, roof and alar plates of prosomere 1 and mesencephalon, and the alar plate of rhombomere 1. As development proceeded, Pax7 cells were observed in the hypothalamus close to the catecholaminergic population of the mammillary region. In the diencephalon, Pax7 was intensely expressed in a portion of the basal plate of prosomere 3, in the roof plate and in scattered cells of the thalamus in prosomere 2, throughout the roof of prosomere 1, and in the commissural and juxtacommissural domains of the pretectum. In the mesencephalon, Pax7 cells were localized in the optic tectum and, to a lesser extent, in the torus semicircularis. The rostral portion of the alar part of rhombomere 1, including the ventricular layer of the cerebellum, expressed Pax7 and, gradually, some of these dorsal cells were observed to populate ventrally the interpeduncular nucleus and the isthmus (rhombomere 0). Additionally, Pax7 positive cells were found in the ventricular zone of the ventral part of the alar plate along the rhombencephalon and the spinal cord. The findings show that the strongly conserved features of Pax7 expression through development shared by amniote vertebrates are also present in the anamniote amphibians as a common characteristic of the brain organization of tetrapods.
Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens in Children With Inherited Immune and Airway Disorders: Nasopharyngeal Carriage and Disease Risk

Children with primary immunodeficiencies, sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis are at risk to develop invasive bacterial infections caused by respiratory tract pathogens, in particular Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Staphylococcus aureus. This review article evaluates the role of nasopharyngeal colonization by these pathogens in the high prevalence of respiratory and invasive infections in children with inherited disorders affecting the immune system or the respiratory tract. We conclude that respiratory and invasive diseases that occur in children with primary immunodeficiencies or sickle cell disease are probably a result of increased nasopharyngeal colonization rates compared with healthy children. However, when the inherited disorder is characterized by local airway abnormalities such as in cystic fibrosis, enhanced nasopharyngeal colonization does not seem to play a major role in invasive disease risk. As the evidence for the role of nasopharyngeal colonization in disease risk in these specific patient groups partly comes from experimental studies and animal models, longitudinal studies in children are needed. Detailed understanding of the effect of colonization on the development of respiratory and invasive infections in children with primary immunodeficiencies, sickle cell disease or cystic fibrosis provides a justification for the selective introduction of vaccination and prophylactic antibiotic treatment. Recommendations for the use of (preventive) therapeutic strategies in these patient groups taking into account disease-specific immunologic mechanisms underlying colonization and disease are described.
Type‐2 diabetes down‐regulates glucose transporter proteins and genes of the human blood leukocytes

Objective. White blood cells are essential in mediating immune and inflammatory responses. A prominent feature of these cells during activation of the immune function is increased glucose utilization, and this is dependent on the functioning of specific glucose transporter (GLUT) isoforms. The few data available on leukocyte glucose transporter expression are limited to type‐2 diabetes mellitus, and nothing is known about its regulation. Material and methods. Peripheral blood was drawn from 35 healthy controls and 35 diabetic subjects. Expression of GLUT1, GLUT3 and GLUT4 was determined in the leukocytes of healthy individuals and diabetic patients by flow cytometry, Western blot and semi‐quantitative RT‐PCR. Results. GLUT 3 was decreased in granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes from diabetic patients. In monocytes, GLUT3 and GLUT4 were reduced in type‐2 diabetic patients. In leukocytes of diabetic patients, GLUT1 and GLUT4, protein and mRNA were unchanged, but GLUT3 protein and mRNA levels were down‐regulated compared to those of healthy controls. Conclusion. Elevated glucose concentration affects leukocyte GLUT expression. Decreased expression of GLUT isoforms in leukocytes may be responsible for diminished activation of diabetic leukocytes. These situations possibly contribute to a predisposition to infection and to a decreased immune response in diabetes.
Istikhara: The Guidance and Practice of Islamic Dream Incubation Through Ethnographic Comparison

This paper introduces and contextualizes Istikhara, Islamic dream incubation practice, as a way to approach the dynamics of Muslims’ inner and outer worlds as an interrelated process of embodied well‐being. We introduce an anthropologically informed debate on healing dreaming in Islam and Islamic healing dreaming practices. Based on our research, we discuss ethnographic examples of Istikhara as practised by British Pakistanis, Pakistanis and last but not least a case study from a corner of the Muslim world, Muslim Bosnia. We explore a shared propensity to dream, though a culturally informed one, and situate the practice into a general economy of Muslim well‐being.
Body Image Self-discrepancies and Affect: Exploring the Feared Body Self

We investigate the feared body image self within Carver, Lawrence, and Scheier's (1999) interaction self-discrepancy framework. Ought, ideal, and feared body image self-discrepancies were examined as predictors of agitation-related affect (anxiety) and dejection-related affect (happiness). The relationship between approach (ought and ideal) body fat discrepancies and affect was in line with Higgins (1987) but was moderated by distance from the feared self for women only. Specifically, the relationship between approach body fat self-guides and affect was strong only when women were far from their feared fat self. The results suggest that the feared body self is an important body image construct and that Carver et al.'s framework is suitable for investigating body image self-representations.
Sources of Variability in Biomarker Concentrations

Human biomonitoring has become a primary tool for chemical exposure characterization in a wide variety of contexts: population monitoring and characterization at a national level, assessment and description of cohort exposures, and individual exposure assessments in the context of epidemiological research into potential adverse health effects of chemical exposures. The accurate use of biomonitoring as an exposure characterization tool requires understanding of factors, apart from external exposure level, that influence variation in biomarker concentrations. This review provides an overview of factors that might influence inter- and intraindividual variation in biomarker concentrations apart from external exposure magnitude. These factors include characteristics of the specific chemical of interest, characteristics of the likely route(s) and frequency of exposure, and physiological characteristics of the biomonitoring matrix (typically, blood or urine). Intraindividual variation in biomarker concentrations may be markedly affected by the relationship between the elimination half-life and the intervals between exposure events, as well as by variation in characteristics of the biomonitored media such as blood lipid content or urinary flow rate. Variation across individuals may occur due to differences in time of sampling relative to exposure events, physiological differences influencing urinary flow or creatinine excretion rates or blood characteristics, and interindividual differences in metabolic rate or other factors influencing the absorption or excretion rate of a compound. Awareness of these factors can assist researchers in improving the design and interpretation of biomonitoring studies.
Disproportional Imprisonment of Black and Hispanic Males: Sentencing Discretion, Processing Outcomes, and Policy Structures

Disproportional incarceration of black and Hispanic men has been the subject of much critical commentary and empirical inquiry. Such disproportionality may be due to greater involvement of minority men in serious crime, to discretionary decisions by local justice officials, or to the differential impact of sentencing policies, such as mandatory minimums or sentencing guidelines, that differentially impact minority men. This study investigated the extent to which the disproportional punishment of black and Hispanic men, and local variation in such disproportionality, can be attributed to unexplained disparities in local sentencing decisions, as opposed to the extent to which such differences are mediated by sentencing policies, or case-processing and extralegal factors. We use 2005–2009 federal court and Pennsylvania state court data. Our findings suggest, particularly in Federal courts, that most disproportionality is determined by processes prior to sentencing, especially sentencing policies that differentially impact minority males.
The international dimension in social work education: current efforts, future challenges

Lynne M. Healy, PhD, is associate professor of social work at the University of Connecticut. While relatively few among the world’s social workers will practise in other countries, nearly all will practise in domestic contexts increasingly affected by internationally generated problems, such as refugee infiux, immigration disputes, rising oil prices, and prospects of nuclear war and its emotional fallout. Many social workers in Africa, parts of Asia, the USA, and, increasingly, Europe will practise in multi-cultural and multi-lingual environments. Thus, as professionals and as citizens, social workers will encounter the complexities of global interdependence. The importance of educating social workers to be sensitive to international issues has been addressed by many authors, and the word ’international’ will be used as a general term in this paper, as in the
Promoting Moral Growth in a Summer Sport Camp: The Implementation of Theoretically Grounded Instructional Strategies.

Abstract The present field experiment was designed to explore the effectiveness of social learning and structural developmental prescriptions for moral pedagogy in a summer sports camp. Eighty‐four children, aged five to seven years, were matched on relevant variables and randomly assigned to one of three classes: (a) social learning, (b) structural developmental, or (c) control. Each of the classes shared similar curricula and was taught by two trained instructors for a six‐week period. Educators is the experimental conditions implemented theoretically grounded instructional strategies in their weekly emphasis on specific moral themes. Analyses indicated significant pre‐to‐post gains on a Piagetian intentionality task and a measure of distributive justice within both experimental groups, but MANCOVA results indicated differences between the experimental and control conditions only approached significance.
Translation-based Recommendation

Modeling the complex interactions between users and items as well as amongst items themselves is at the core of designing successful recommender systems. One classical setting is predicting users' personalized sequential behavior (or 'next-item' recommendation), where the challenges mainly lie in modeling 'third-order' interactions between a user, her previously visited item(s), and the next item to consume. Existing methods typically decompose these higher-order interactions into a combination of pairwise relationships, by way of which user preferences (user-item interactions) and sequential patterns (item-item interactions) are captured by separate components. In this paper, we propose a unified method, TransRec, to model such third-order relationships for large-scale sequential prediction. Methodologically, we embed items into a 'transition space' where users are modeled as translation vectors operating on item sequences. Empirically, this approach outperforms the state-of-the-art on a wide spectrum of real-world datasets. Data and code are available at https://sites.google. com/a/eng.ucsd. edu/ruining-he/.
The Concordance between Teachers’ and Parents’ Perceptions of School Transition Practices: A Solid Base for the Future

This study focuses on parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of practices aimed at easing the transition to formal schooling (e.g., familiarization with the school, discussions about the school entrants). A total of 230 preschool teachers, 131 elementary school teachers, and 2,662 mothers and fathers filled in a questionnaire containing items on how important they considered different preschool-school transition practices. The participants considered the various transition practices to be at least somewhat important. On average, familiarization with the school was considered to be most important, whereas teacher co-operation and joint writing of curricula were considered to be least important. The perceptions of the participant groups differed from each other significantly in almost all practices. We suggest that the information on school entrants should be transferred within joint meetings between transition partners and other professionals whenever possible.
Left Ventricular Remodeling after Myocardial Infarction in Antecedent Hypertensive Patients

Antecedent hypertension adversely affects mortality and heart failure after myocardial infarction (MI). In addition, accelerated ventricular remodeling is a contributor to the increased mortality observed after MI. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of antecedent hypertension to ventricular remodeling after MI. Ninety-four patients presenting with a first acute MI who were treated with reperfusion therapy within 12 h of their symptom onset were enrolled in this study. All of them underwent left ventriculography immediately after reperfusion therapy and again at 6 months after the occurrence of MI. Patients were divided into two groups: a hypertensive group and a normotensive group. End-diastolic volume index (EDVI), end-systolic volume index (ESVI), and ejection fraction (EF) values in the acute phase were compared to those at 6 months after acute MI in either group. The hypertensive group showed a significant increase in both EDVI and ESVI after 6 months, whereas the normotensive group did not. In addition, there was no change in EF in the hypertensive group, whereas EF increased significantly after 6 months in the normotensive group. As a result, the percent changes in ESVI and EF were significantly different between the hypertensive group and normotensive group. The results demonstrated that antecedent hypertension interacts with ventricular cavity dilatation after MI.
Krasovskii's method in the stability of network control

We consider network resource allocation problems based on convex optimization, and their decentralized solutions by means of primal, dual, or primal-dual subgradient control. We show how Krasovskii's method, that seeks Lyapunov functions which are quadratic forms of the vector field, provides new global stability proofs for various problems of this kind. Applications include congestion control, cross-layer congestion and contention control, and other general network utility maximization problems.We show more generally how this proof method applies to concave-convex saddle point problems solved by subgradient methods.
Modeling of Magnetoelectric Effects in Magnetostrictive/Piezoelectric Laminated Composites Using the Energy Method

The current models of the resonant magnetoelectric (ME) effect are based on Newton’s equation of motion and some given conditions which are various in published papers. Even some results are in conflict with Gauss’s law in magnetics. This paper provides the energy method to model ME effects. The energy method is based on linear constitutive equations and the principle of minimum energy. By constructing and solving the constraint problem of the variational principle, more reasonable conditions are deduced for simplifying Newton’s motion equation. The induced additional fields of externally applied fields are considered during the process of deducing by Gauss’s law for electricity or magnetism. The coefficients of direct/converse ME effects are obtained and compared with the models in the previous papers. The proposed model avoids conflict with Gauss’s law and provides another insight into understanding the resonant and static ME effects.
Contrast sensitivity of the human eye and its e ects on image quality

Modulation Threshold and Noise Model for the Spatial Contrast Sensitivity of the Eye Extension of the Contrast Sensitivity Model to Extra-Foveal Vision Extension of the Contrast Sensitivity Model to the Temporal Domain Effect of Nonwhite Spatial Noise on Contrast Sensitivity Contrast Discrimination Model Image Quality Measure Effect of Various Parameters on Image Quality.
A Case of Complete and Durable Molecular Remission of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Following Treatment with Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, an Extract of Green Tea

We report the case of a 48-year-old man who achieved a complete molecular remission 20 years after a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia while using epigallicatechin-3-gallate, an extract of green tea. The patient presented at age 28 with lymphocytosis, mild anemia, mild thrombocytopenia, and massive splenomegaly, for which a splenectomy was performed. He was then followed expectantly. Over the next two decades, he suffered two symptomatic chronic lymphocytic leukemia-related events. The first occurred twelve years after diagnosis (at age 40) when the patient developed fevers, night sweats, and moderate anemia. He was diagnosed with autoimmune hemolytic anemia secondary to chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The patient declined conventional therapy in favor of a diet, exercise, and supplement regimen, and recovered from the autoimmune hemolytic anemia though the underlying chronic lymphocytic leukemia remained evident. This is the first published case report of "spontaneous" recovery from secondary autoimmune hemolytic anemia in an adult. Over the second decade following chronic lymphocytic leukemia diagnosis, serial bone marrow biopsies demonstrated increasing lymphocytosis, with minimal peripheral lymphocytosis. However, twenty years after diagnosis, peripheral lymphocytosis accelerated, with white blood cell counts rising to 55,000/µL. Because the patient continued to refuse conventional therapy, he was treated instead with a supplement regimen that included high doses of epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a green tea extract. Peripheral lymphocytosis resolved. More remarkably, a bone marrow examination, including flow cytometry, showed no evidence of a malignant clone. Two years later (at age 51), the peripheral blood and bone marrow were without molecular evidence of chronic lymphocytic leukemia or any malignancy. The patient remains well at age 52.