Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“The amazing race” – success through persistence and resilience: a phenomenological study on the lived experiences of African American males at a private historically black college and university

Nationwide, a steep decline in the number of African American males enrolling and graduating from colleges and universities exists. To address the determination of African American male students, a closer inspection of factors promoting their persistence to degree completion is needed. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of eight African American male students at a private Historically Black College and University (HBCU). This investigation explored the factors that may have contributed to their persistence and resilience to stay on-course towards their degree completion. Tinto’s theory of academic and social integration was used to frame this study and attempt to answer the following three research questions: (a) How do African American male students overcome challenges they encounter in college? (b) To what do African American male students attribute their academic success? and (c) To what extent did the educational experience at this private HBCU influence one’s decision(s) to persistently enroll until graduation without dropping out? Purposeful sampling was utilized in the selection of the eight African American male students who were on the verge of successfully completing their degrees. Multiple, in-depth interviewing was the primary method of data collection. Narrative data was collected from all participants, fully transcribed, and verified for accuracy. After completion of the interviews, the raw data was read several times to identify emergent themes. The data analysis revealed three emergent themes: (a) influential people; (b) in the face of adversity, I stay strong; and (c) college enriching experiences. Key findings from the study suggest that academic and social integration contributed to the persistence and resiliency of eight African American male students. The connections were viewed through the lens of Tinto’s Student Integration Model.
Packing Parameters in Graphs

Abstract In a graph G = (V,E), a non-empty set S ⊆ V is said to be an open packing set if no two vertices of S have a common neighbour in G. An open packing set which is not a proper subset of any open packing set is called a maximal open packing set. The minimum and maximum cardinalities of a maximal open packing set are respectively called the lower open packing number and the open packing number and are denoted by ρoL and ρo. In this paper, we present some bounds on these parameters.
Laminins and retinal vascular development

The mechanisms controlling vascular development, both normal and pathological, are not yet fully understood. Many diseases, including cancer and diabetic retinopathy, involve abnormal blood vessel formation. Therefore, increasing knowledge of these mechanisms may help develop novel therapeutic targets. The identification of novel proteins or cells involved in this process would be particularly useful. The retina is an ideal model for studying vascular development because it is easy to access, particularly in rodents where this process occurs post-natally. Recent studies have suggested potential roles for laminin chains in vascular development of the retina. This review will provide an overview of these studies, demonstrating the importance of further research into the involvement of laminins in retinal blood vessel formation.
EEG based biometric authentication using new spectral features

From the viewpoint of user management, continuous authentication is effective. However, general biometrics such as fingerprint, iris, vein, and so on are not suitable for the continuous verification since they require conscious presentation of biometric data. As unconscious biometrics, to use a brain wave (electroencephalogram: EEG) has been proposed but conventional approaches require heavy computational load for feature extraction and verification and it becomes a problem for practical applications. In this paper, we propose new features: the concavity and convexity of spectral distribution in the alpha band and propose to fuse them with a spectral variance in verification. The proposed methods are achieved with low computational load. In our experiments using 23 subjects, EER of 11% is obtained and it is comparable with the performance of conventional approaches.
Particle Filter Design Using Importance Sampling for Acoustic Source Localisation and Tracking in Reverberant Environments

Sequential Monte Carlo methods have been recently proposed to deal with the problem of acoustic source localisation and tracking using an array of microphones. Previous implementations make use of the basic bootstrap particle filter, whereas a more general approach involves the concept of importance sampling. In this paper, we develop a new particle filter for acoustic source localisation using importance sampling, and compare its tracking ability with that of a bootstrap algorithm proposed previously in the literature. Experimental results obtained with simulated reverberant samples and real audio recordings demonstrate that the new algorithm is more suitable for practical applications due to its reinitialisation capabilities, despite showing a slightly lower average tracking accuracy. A real-time implementation of the algorithm also shows that the proposed particle filter can reliably track a person talking in real reverberant rooms.
The Value of a Storage Facility

The paper derives the value of a storage facility that is too small to affect an exogenously defined price process of a storable good with seasonal and mean-reverting components. It provides an elegant new continuous-time model of storage under simple assumptions, which could be applied, for example, to natural gas. In the case without a seasonal component, closed form solutions are obtained as functions of the underlying price. A local time analysis provides an even simpler unconditional formula, which generalizes to the full model. The value of a storage facility under a model with a seasonal and a stochastic component is represented as a time integral which is easily evaluated numerically. The analysis provides a proper treatment of the true nature of the "option to store" and insights into the value of each component. An interesting feature of the model is that all transactions (whether to buy or to sell) are triggered by a single critical price. The analysis enables us to compare the profitability of storing under alternative price process assumptions.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: long-term follow-up of endovascular versus open repair

Introduction To compare early and long-term outcomes of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) versus open repair (OPEN). Design: Prospective observational, per protocol, non-randomized, with retrospective analyses. Material and methods Between 2000 and 2005, a total of 311 patients having EVAR or OPEN repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms were identified and included in this prospective single-center observational study. A propensity score-based optimal-matching algorithm was employed, and 138 patients undergoing EVAR procedures were matched (1: 1) to OPEN repair. Results Open repair showed higher hospital mortality (17% vs. 6%, p = 0.004), respiratory failure (p < 0.026), transfusion requirement (p < 0.001), and intensive care unit admission (27% vs. 7%, p < 0.001), and longer hospitalization (p < 0.001). Median follow-up was 70 months (25th to 75th percentile, 24 to 101). Actuarial survival estimates at 1, 5 and 10 years were 93%, 74%, 49% for the OPEN group compared to 89%, 69%, 59% for the EVAR group (p = 0.465). A significant difference between groups was observed in younger patients (< 75 years) only (p < 0.044). Late complication and re-intervention rates were significantly higher in EVAR patients (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). Freedom from late complications at 1, 5 and 10 years was 96%, 92%, 86%, and 84%, 70%, 64% for OPEN and EVAR procedures, respectively. Conclusions Our experience confirms the excellent results of the EVAR procedures, offering excellent early and long-term results in terms of safety and reduction of mortality. Patients < 75 years seem to benefit from EVAR not only in the immediate postoperative period but even in a long-term perspective.
Community acceptability of minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) in children under five years of age in Soweto, South Africa

This interdisciplinary study, using qualitative and ethnographic research methods, collected data from 330 men and women in Soweto, South Africa, in order to understand the community acceptability of minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) in children who died under five years of age. The study found that the acceptability of MIAs depended on people’s socio-cultural belief systems regarding death and afterlife; on power and gender dynamics within households; and on structural issues relating to the health care system and mortuary services.
Approximation through multicommodity flow

The first approximate max-flow-min-cut theorem for general multicommodity flow is proved. It is used to obtain approximation algorithms for minimum deletion of clauses of a 2-CNF identical to formula, via minimization problems, and other problems. Also presented are approximation algorithms for chordalization of a graph and for register sufficiency that are based on undirected and directed node separators. <<ETX>>
Skill-Biased Change in Entrepreneurial Technology

In contrast to the very large literature on skill-biased technical change among workers, there is hardly any work on the importance of skills for the entrepreneurs who employ those workers, and in particular on their evolution over time. This paper proposes a simple theory of skill-biased change in entrepreneurial technology that fits with cross-country, historical and micro evidence. For this, it introduces two additional features into an otherwise standard occupational choice, heterogeneous firm model a la Lucas (1978): technological change does not benefit all potential entrepreneurs equally, and there is a positive relationship between an individual's potential payoffs in working and in entrepreneurship. If some firms consistently benefit more from technological progress than others, they stay closer to the frontier, and the others fall behind. Because wages rise for all workers, low-productivity entrepreneurs will then at some point exit and become workers. As a consequence, the entrepreneurship rate falls with income per capita, average firm size and firm size dispersion increase with income per capita, and "entrepreneurship out of necessity" falls with income per capita. The paper also documents, for two of the facts for the first time, that these are exactly the relationships prevailing in cross-country data. Quantitatively, the model fits the U.S. experience well. Using the parameters from a calibration to the U.S., the model also explains cross-country patterns quite well.
Volkswirtschaftliche Diskussionsbeiträge Universität Gesamthochschule Siegen Fachbereich Wirtschaftswissenschaften Stylized Facts and International Business Cycles - the German Case

This paper studies the business cycle in Germany using the HP-filter (Hodrick/Prescott (1997)) to isolate the cyclical component. A two-country International Business Cycle model in line with Baxter/Crucini (1995) is built to explain these facts. The combination of GHH-preferences with taste shocks resulting from government consumption is shown to be an important feature of the German business cycle. A VAR model for the exogenous variables is estimated that enables the model not only to account well for the observed positive international correlations of outputs, consumptions and savings but also for their lead-lag relationship. Hours worked and investments are positively correlated in this model-a property not realized in other single-good models of the International Business Cycle in the literature.
In situ measurement of growth stress in alumina scale

Stress in the early stages of growth has been measured in α-Al2O3 (alumina) scales formed on FeCrAl- and NiAl-based alloys during heating in air at 1000 °C to 1200 °C. Scale thickness ranges from 0.5 to 5 μm, times from 5 to 720 min. Stress was measured using the multiple-tilt method. In order to measure the thinnest scales at the earliest times, focused, monochromatic synchrotron radiation was used for high intensity, and a fixed, small angle of incidence was used along with an appropriate wavelength to maximize scattering from the film relative to the background from the substrate. Depending on the composition, transient tensile stresses of up to 1.2 GPa were observed, with maximum stress at times ranging from >10 h at 1000 °C to <10 min at 1200 °C. Thermal stresses induced by an abrupt temperature change were found to relax much more quickly, suggesting that the kinetics observed during isothermal growth reflect a dynamic competition between stress generation and stress relaxation. These results challenge commonly accepted models of growth stress in scales that predict that a compressive stress will be generated as the metal converts to a larger-volume oxide in a constrained location such as an interface. The observed tensile stress may be due to another mechanism altogether (e.g., grain coalescence), or to the conversion of a transitional Al2O3 to the equilibrium α-Al2O3 phase. For one composition, transitional Al2O3 is observed during the period of tensile stress
' s personal copy Effects of maternal stress coping style on offspring characteristics in rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss )

a Technical University of Denmark, DTU Aqua, Section for Aquaculture, The North Sea Research Centre, P.O. Box 101, DK-9850 Hirtshals, Denmark b Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Åas, Norway c Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMar), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal d Marine Biological Laboratory at the Institute of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, DK-3000 Helsingør, Denmark
Chemical evolution with radial mixing

Models of the chemical evolution of our Galaxy are extended to include radial migration of stars and flow of gas through the disc. The models track the production of both iron and α-elements. A model is chosen that provides an excellent fit to the metallicity distribution of stars in the Geneva-Copenhagen survey (GCS) of the solar neighbourhood and a good fit to the local Hess diagram. The model provides a good fit to the distribution of GCS stars in the age-metallicity plane, although this plane was not used in the fitting process. Although this model's star formation rate is monotonically declining, its disc naturally splits into an α-enhanced thick disc and a normal thin disc. In particular, the model's distribution of stars in the ([O/Fe], [Fe/H]) plane resembles that of Galactic stars in displaying a ridge line for each disc. The thin-disc's ridge line is entirely due to stellar migration, and there is the characteristic variation of stellar angular momentum along it that has been noted by Haywood in survey data. Radial mixing of stellar populations with high σ z from inner regions of the disc to the solar neighbourhood provides a natural explanation of why measurements yield a steeper increase of σ z with age than predicted by theory. The metallicity gradient in the interstellar medium is predicted to be steeper than in earlier models, but appears to be in good agreement with data for both our Galaxy and external galaxies. The models are inconsistent with a cut-off in the star formation rate at low gas surface densities. The absolute magnitude of the disc is given as a function of time in several photometric bands, and radial colour profiles are plotted for representative times.
Let It Be: Mindfulness and Releasement—Neglected Dimensions of Well-Being

Western theories of well-being are shaped by individualistic values and assumptions that emphasize control, mastery, and emotional satisfaction. This article explores dimensions of well-being that have been ignored by psychology, in particular, a stance toward experience that emphasizes a deep openness, acceptance, and letting be. Mindfulness and Meister Eckhart’s notion of releasement (Gelasenheit) are used to frame these alternative dimensions that have been central to many non-Western traditions. Releasement is suggested to entail a different kind of experiencing, one that facilitates awareness of our embodiment and of our interdependence, and allows us to dwell in our bodies and be open to being touched by others and nature. Phenomenological, neuroscientific, clinical–developmental, and contemplative perspectives will be integrated to explicate the nature of releasement and how it offers a vision of well-being. Gendlin’s (1981) Focusing and Gadamer’s (1975) hermeneutic dialogue will be considered as practical applications of releasement for both our inner and interpersonal life.
Linking Microscopic Spatial Patterns of Tissue Destruction in Emphysema to Macroscopic Decline in Stiffness Using a 3D Computational Model

Pulmonary emphysema is a connective tissue disease characterized by the progressive destruction of alveolar walls leading to airspace enlargement and decreased elastic recoil of the lung. However, the relationship between microscopic tissue structure and decline in stiffness of the lung is not well understood. In this study, we developed a 3D computational model of lung tissue in which a pre-strained cuboidal block of tissue was represented by a tessellation of space filling polyhedra, with each polyhedral unit-cell representing an alveolus. Destruction of alveolar walls was mimicked by eliminating faces that separate two polyhedral either randomly or in a spatially correlated manner, in which the highest force bearing walls were removed at each step. Simulations were carried out to establish a link between the geometries that emerged and the rate of decline in bulk modulus of the tissue block. The spatially correlated process set up by the force-based destruction lead to a significantly faster rate of decline in bulk modulus accompanied by highly heterogeneous structures than the random destruction pattern. Using the Karhunen-Loève transformation, an estimator of the change in bulk modulus from the first four moments of airspace cell volumes was setup. Simulations were then obtained for tissue destruction with different idealized alveolar geometry, levels of pre-strain, linear and nonlinear elasticity assumptions for alveolar walls and also mixed destruction patterns where both random and force-based destruction occurs simultaneously. In all these cases, the change in bulk modulus from cell volumes was accurately estimated. We conclude that microscopic structural changes in emphysema and the associated decline in tissue stiffness are linked by the spatial pattern of the destruction process.
Educating Gifted Students With Asperger's Syndrome: A Case Study Of Three Students And Their Classroom Experiences

thought (Schuler, 2009), and display a good memory, especially for factual information and in areas of interest or preference like math and science (Bonnycastle, 2006; Fitzgerald, 2002; Little, 2002). They may display good attention to details, strong focus (Bashe & Kirby, 2005), and intense interest in a specific area of knowledge (Bashe & Kirby, 2005; Neihart, 2000).
The WAIS as a Group Test of Intelligence.

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact ecommons@luc.edu. would not have been possible.
Learning unions of orthonormal bases with thresholded singular value decomposition

We propose a new method to learn overcomplete dictionaries for sparse coding structured as unions of orthonormal bases. The interest of such a structure is manifold. Indeed, it seems that many signals or images can be modeled as the superimposition of several layers with sparse decompositions in as many bases. Moreover, in such dictionaries, the efficient block coordinate relaxation (BCR) algorithm can be used to compute sparse decompositions. We show that it is possible to design an iterative learning algorithm that produces a dictionary with the required structure. Each step is based on the coefficients estimation, using a variant of BCR, followed by the update of one chosen basis, using singular value decomposition. We assess experimentally how well the learning algorithm recovers dictionaries that may or may not have the required structure, and to what extent the noise level is a disturbing factor.
A Compressed Sensing-Based Low-Density Parity-Check Real-Number Code

In this paper, we propose a novel low-density parity-check real-number code, based on compressed sens- ing. A real-valued message is encoded by a coding matrix (with more rows than columns) and transmitted over an er- roneous channel, where sparse errors (impulsive noise) cor- rupt the codeword. In the decoding procedure, we apply a structured sparse (low-density) parity-check matrix, the Permuted Block Diagonal matrix, to the corrupted output, and the errors can be corrected by solving a compressed sensing problem. A compressed sensing algorithm, Cross Low-dimensional Pursuit, is used to decode the code by solv- ing this compressed sensing problem. The proposed code has high error correction performance and decoding e ciency. The comparative experimental results demonstrate both ad- vantages of our code. We also apply our code to cryptogra- phy.
Water Quality Monitoring of Lake Garda Using Multi-Temporal MERIS Data

The successful launch of MERIS in March 2002 has given a great opportunity to understand the changes of water colour with high temporal and spatial resolutions. In this study, potentials of MERIS sensor were investigated to describe variations of optically active substances of Lake Garda. The basin is located in the Italian sub-alpine lacustrine district, where several other lakes and rivers give the region more than 50% of all Italian freshwater resources. With an area of 368 km 2 and a water volume of 49 km 3 , Lake Garda represents a greatly valuable renewable resource, because the multiple uses of its waters (e.g., drinkable, irrigation, energy, tourism). The size of Lake Garda seems also large enough to be monitored using MERIS. The dataset analysed in this paper includes the MERIS image acquired in Full Resolution mode on 22 nd July 2003. During the overpass, a large amount of in situ observations were performed, to the aim of image-data processing (mainly atmospheric correction) and validating products (i.e. concentration of chlorophyll). The concentrations values of chlorophyll such as estimated from MERIS were derived applying a band ratio algorithm to atmospherically corrected data. The optimal band ratio (B6/B9) was defined using a semi-analytical bio-optical model parameterised with specific IOPs of Lake Garda. The MERIS-derived chlorophyll values were finally compared with concentrations derived from high spatial resolution fluorescence measurements. The chlorophyll a as it was derived from MERIS was in good agreement with measured values (R 2
Globální myšlení žáků: srovnání vybraných evropských zemí

In the past decades, when the life on the Earth became interrelated and mutually influenced, the education of the citizens of the world has been pushed to the foreground of the priorities pursued by educational objectives. Should the teaching of geography pursue this educational demand? Do our students think in global dimensions? Do they realise that the life on the Earth is interrelated? Is this knowledge translated into their attitudes and values? The asked questions outline the topic that has become a focus of international research (Beneker et al. 2013). It is the main goal of this paper to highlight the level of Czech students’ world-mindedness as compared to students from selected European countries (the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Serbia).