Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CoStream: co-construction of shared experiences through mobile live video sharing

Mobile media sharing is an increasingly popular form of social media interaction. Research has shown that asynchronous sharing fosters and maintains social connections and serves as a memory aid. More recently, researchers have investigated the potential for mobile media sharing as a mechanism for providing additional event-related information to spectators in a stadium. In this paper, we describe CoStream, a novel system for mobile live sharing of user-generated video in-situ during events. Developed iteratively with users, CoStream goes beyond prior work by providing a strong real-time coupling to the event, leveraging users' social connections to provide multiple perspectives on the ongoing action. Field trials demonstrate that real time sharing of different perspectives on the same event has the potential to provide fundamentally new experiences of same-place events, such as concerts or stadium sports. We discuss how CoStream enriches social interactions, increases context, social and spatial awareness, and thus encourages active spectatorship. We further contribute key requirements for the design of future interfaces supporting the co-construction of shared experiences during events, in-situ.
Citizens' Concerns about the Privacy of Personal Information Held by Government: A Comparative Study, Japan and New Zealand

The paper reports an investigation of the concepts of information privacy and trust in government in Japan, and compares the findings with an earlier study in New Zealand which used a similar instrument. Cultural and other factors are sought which might explain differences in attitudes shown in the two studies. The responses of Japanese citizens interviewed indicated that they had major concerns about information privacy, knew little about any protection offered in law, and had considerably less trust in government than New Zealand respondents showed. Cultural factors that might contribute to these differences, such as the difference between a collectivist versus a more individualistic culture were reflected in some of the respondents' explanations of their views.
Urinary Exosomal miR-193a Can Be a Potential Biomarker for the Diagnosis of Primary Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis in Children

Background. Glomerular upregulation of miR-193a has been detected in primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) but not in other glomerular diseases. We aimed to isolate exosomes from urine of children with primary FSGS and to assess the diagnostic potential of urinary exosomal miR-193a for primary FSGS. Methods. The first morning urine samples were collected from children with primary FSGS (n = 8) and minimal change disease (MCD, n = 5). Isolated urinary exosomes were confirmed by electron microscopy and Western blotting. Urinary exosomal microRNA was extracted, and the expression levels of exosomal miR-193a were quantified by real-time PCR. The diagnosis value of urinary exosomal miR-193a levels for primary FSGS was evaluated by ROC analysis. Results. The isolated vesicles were qualitatively compatible with exosomes. The levels of urinary exosomal miR-193a were significantly higher in children with primary FSGS than those in children with MCD. Moreover, the area under the ROC for the diagnosis of primary FSGS using urinary exosomal miR-193a was 0.85. Conclusions. A significant increase in the levels of urinary exosomal miR-193a in primary FSGS patients compared to those in MCD ones was observed. This study suggests that urinary exosomal miR-193a may be a new noninvasive biomarker for the diagnosis of primary FSGS.
LONG TERM FUNCTIONAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF MUSCLE CELL CULTURES

Skeletal muscle is the mammalian body's largest protein resevoir, serving the critical role of mobilizing proteins during acute conditions, such as trauma and starvation, and chronic conditions, such as AIDS, cancer, and muscular dystrophy. When proteins are mobilized in excess of physiological needs, muscle wasting ensues. With advances in the treatment of the primary effects of these conditions, muscle wasting, which formerly may have been of secondary concern, has become an impedement to full recovery from these conditions. With recognition of the growing importance of muscle wasting to clinical rehabilitation, the need to elucidate the mechanistic underpinnings of muscle wasting has become more acute. Previously, whole body and organ culture have been the choice models for investigation of protein turnover in skeletal muscle. These models have been useful in showing that myofibrillar proteins are under physiological regulation by hormones and cytokines. However, these models are valid for only several hours, contain many inherent couplings and cell types, and it is difficult to separate protein synthesis from degradation, all of which make elucidation of complex proteolytic pathways difficult. Cell culture can be a very powerful system for investigation of cellular metabolic pathways, offering more precise control of the cell culture micro-environment and the ability to measure synthesis and degradation independently. However, caution must be taken to insure that the muscle specific components and degradative pathways which are regulated in adult muscle are present in the cell culture system. This study was undertaken to address these concerns and emphasize the need for thorough biochemical analysis before muscle specific protein turnover may be investigated in cell culture. The L6 cell line was used as a model cell culture system in this study. Using creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and DNA, media conditions were optimized to produce maximal differentiation in the short-term. Next, using CPK, tropomyosin, and ax-actinin, long-term studies were undertaken to evaluate the suitability of the L6 cell culture system for protein turnover experiments. Finally, static mechanical tension was applied to the cultured L6 cells as a potential method of augmenting of muscle specific function. Long-term biochemical analysis of CPK showed that differentiated muscle cells were quasistable in the optimized media for a period of 7 to 14 days depending on the stringency of the requirements. However, immunoflourescence staining during this period revealed that muscle specific tropomyosin degraded heterogeneously across the cultures before organizing into myofibrils. Work with short-term passive mechanical stretch showed that CPK levels increased two-fold over controls, suggesting that, after appropriate optimization, passive tension may be a viable method for maintaining muscle specific function during protein turnover studies. Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Mehmet Toner Title: Assistant Professor of Surgery
TBLT AND L2 PRONUNCIATION

Decades of research on task-based language teaching and learning (TBLT) have demonstrated that tasks may encourage second/foreign language (L2) development by providing conditions for cognitive processes and social interactions that facilitate L2 acquisition (e.g., Long, 2015; Robinson, 2011; Skehan, 2014; for alternative, noncognitive viewpoints on TBLT, see Jackson & Burch, 2017). Specifically, manipulating task features has been shown to draw learners’ attention to target forms within meaningbased interaction; to encourage automatization and fluency of target structures; and to promote use of more accurate, varied, and/or complex forms. However, most research examining the facilitative role of tasks and task features thus far has focused on tasks that center on grammatical or lexical structures, or even pragmatics (Plonsky & Kim, 2016). To date, there is a lack of systematic investigation into the role of tasks and task manipulation in promoting opportunities for the development of L2 pronunciation, an important aspect of L2 acquisition and communicative competence. In fact, despite recognition that the theoretical rationale for TBLT includes pronunciation (Ellis, 2009)
HIV-1 replication activates CD4+ T cells with specificities for persistent herpes viruses

Hyperactivation of CD4+ T cells is a hallmark of untreated HIV‐1 infection. The antigenic specificities of activated CD4+ T cells and the underlying mechanisms leading to their activation remain thus far elusive. We report here that during HIV rebound the dynamics of HIV‐specific CD4+ T cells is highly correlated with the dynamics of CD4+ T cells specific for persistent antigens derived from various members of the herpes virus family, whereas CD4 responses towards non‐persistent antigens were unaffected by HIV replication. Notably, the dynamics of HIV and herpes viral antigen‐specific CD4+ T cells responses correlated with the expression level of activation markers on dendritic cells (DCs) and activated DCs were more potent in restimulating memory T cells. These data strongly suggest that HIV replication costimulates activation of CD4+ T cells specific for persistent herpes viral antigens via activation of DCs. We propose that a large proportion of activated T cells during untreated HIV infection may be specific for herpes viral antigens and identify a novel mechanism contributing to chronic immune activation in untreated HIV‐1 infection.
The co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in parents of children with ASD or ASD with ADHD.

BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) share about 50-72% of their genetic factors, which is the most likely explanation for their frequent co-occurrence within the same patient or family. An additional or alternative explanation for the co-occurrence may be (cross-)assortative mating, e.g., the tendency to choose a partner that is similar or dissimilar to oneself. Another issue is that of parent-of-origin effect which refers to the possibility of parents differing in the relative quantity of risk factors they transmit to the offspring. The current study sets out to examine (cross-)assortative mating and (cross-)parent-of-origin effects of ASD and ADHD in parents of children with either ASD or ASD with ADHD diagnosis. METHODS In total, 121 families were recruited in an ongoing autism-ADHD family genetics project. Participating families consisted of parents and at least one child aged between 2 and 20 years, with either autistic disorder, Asperger disorder or PDD-NOS, and one or more biological siblings. All children and parents were carefully screened for the presence of ASD and ADHD. RESULTS No correlations were found between maternal and paternal ASD and ADHD symptoms. Parental ASD and ADHD symptoms were predictive for similar symptoms in the offspring, but with maternal hyperactive-impulsive symptoms, but not paternal symptoms, predicting similar symptoms in daughters. ASD pathology in the parents was not predictive for ADHD pathology in the offspring, but mother's ADHD pathology was predictive for offspring ASD pathology even when corrected for maternal ASD pathology. CONCLUSIONS Cross-assortative mating for ASD and ADHD does not form an explanation for the frequent co-occurrence of these disorders within families. Given that parental ADHD is predictive of offspring' ASD but not vice versa, risk factors underlying ASD may overlap to a larger degree with risk factors underlying ADHD than vice versa. However, future research is needed to clarify this issue.
Shadowing and absorption effects on J/psi production in dA collisions

The authors study medium modifications of J/{psi} production in cold nuclear media in deuterium-nucleus collisions. They discuss several parameterizations of the modifications of the parton densities in the nucleus, known as shadowing, an initial-state effect. They also include absorption of the produced J/{psi} by nucleons, a final-state effect. Both spatially homogeneous and inhomogeneous shadowing and absorption are considered. They use the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions as a centrality measure. Results are presented for d+Au collisions at {radical}S{sub NN} = 200 GeV and for d+Pb collisions at {radical}S{sub NN} = 6.2 TeV. To contrast the centrality dependence in pA and dA collisions, they also present pPb results at {radical}S{sub NN} = 8.8 TeV.
Intermediate Migration Yields Optimal Adaptation in Structured, Asexual Populations

Most evolving populations are subdivided into multiple subpopulations connected to each other by varying levels of gene flow. However, how population structure and gene flow (i.e., migration) affect adaptive evolution is not well understood. Here, we studied the impact of migration on asexually reproducing evolving computer programs (digital organisms). We found that digital organisms evolve the highest fitness values at intermediate migration rates, and we tested three hypotheses that could potentially explain this observation: (i) migration promotes passage through fitness valleys, (ii) migration increases genetic variation, and (iii) migration reduces clonal interference through a process called “leapfrogging”. We found that migration had no appreciable effect on the number of fitness valleys crossed and that genetic variation declined monotonously with increasing migration rates, instead of peaking at the optimal migration rate. However, the number of leapfrogging events, in which a superior beneficial mutation emerges on a genetic background that predates the previously best genotype in the population, did peak at the optimal migration rate. We thus conclude that in structured, asexual populations intermediate migration rates allow for optimal exploration of multiple, distinct fitness peaks, and thus yield the highest long-term adaptive success.
Looking beyond poverty : poor children's perspectives and experiences of risk, coping, and resilience in Addis Ababa

Despite the increasing policy and academic attention given to child poverty in recent years, little is known about children’s perspectives and their experiences of risk, coping and resilience in the context of poverty. The existing child poverty literature is dominated by studies from economics and developmental psychology, which for the most part overlook not only the perspectives of children in poverty but also their use of coping strategies and experiences of resilience. Much can be inferred, however, from studies of the lives of children in developing countries in terms of the active role poor children play in their lives and their families’ lives. Additionally, a small but growing number of qualitative child poverty studies in Europe and North America (e.g. Ridge, 2002) have highlighted the resourcefulness and optimism of many children living in poverty. They have shown the merit of prioritizing children’s perspectives and experiences or minimally setting them alongside the perspectives of adults in order to understand their lives and concerns fully. This thesis builds on these studies by exploring the lives of children living in poverty that go beyond their material disadvantage or survival. It highlights the priorities, concerns and responses of children living in a context different from the one covered by most of these studies. It also explores the theoretical concepts of coping and resilience to establish whether these constructs can be reliably applied in a society that is very different from the one in which they were developed. The study focuses on Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world. It addresses the perspectives and experiences of twenty-six children (11 girls and 15 boys) between the ages of 11 and 14 in Kolfe area, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Addis Ababa. It employs qualitative research methods such as semi-structured individual interviews, daily diaries, drawings and timelines with the children. The key finding of the study is that the majority of these children perceive that relationships that are characterized by conflict are more damaging than material poverty. This suggests that research and interventions focusing on poverty not only undermine children’s positive experiences and agency but also obscure their real priorities and concerns. The children’s accounts further suggest that the theoretical concepts of “coping” and “resilience” are applicable to Ethiopian children, although as in other contexts how the children understand and experience them is influenced by the culture and environment in which they live.
Cognitive Abilities Involved in Insight Problem Solving: An Individual Differences Model

This study investigated individual differences in cognitive abilities that contribute to solving insight problems. A model is proposed describing three types of cognitive ability that contribute independently to insight: convergent thinking, divergent thinking, and breaking frame. The model was tested in a large sample (N = 108) by regressing insight problem solving performance on measures of these three abilities. This analysis demonstrated that all three abilities predicted insight independently. Convergent thinking was further broken down into verbal intelligence and working memory, which also predicted insight independently of each other and of divergent thinking and breaking frame. Finally, when pitted against noninsight problem solving as a predictor in regression, only insight problem solving was uniquely associated with divergent thinking and breaking frame. The model is suggested as a potentially useful taxonomy for the study of ill-defined problems and cognitive abilities.
Women Rule, But Do They Make A Difference? Women in Politics, Social Policy and Social Conditions in Latin America

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Canonical self-affine tilings by iterated function systems

An iterated function system O consisting of contractive affine mappings has a unique attractor F  Rd which is invariant under the action of the system, as was shown by Hutchinson [3]. This paper shows how the action of the function system naturally produces a tiling T of the convex hull of the attractor. These tiles form a collection of sets whose geometry is typically much simpler than that of F, yet retains key information about both F and O. In particular, the tiles encode all the scaling data of O. We give the construction, along with some examples and applications. The tiling T is the foundation for the higher-dimensional extension of the theory of complex dimensions which was developed in [13] for the case d . 1.
Exploiting Awareness to Facilitate the Orchestration of Collaborative Activities in Physical Spaces

Complex group dynamics in physical educational spaces, such as the classroom, can lead to significant learning benefits. Outstanding teachers apply these dynamics, but their adoption is not extensive. One of the reasons behind the lack of broad adoption refers to their implementation inconveniences, including the time and attention that teachers and students need to dedicate to the orchestration of the dynamic. This workshop paper discusses a technology, the Signal Orchestration System (SOS), which facilitates the organization of group activities in physical spaces by exploiting awareness indications. Using the SOS, students wear a device that renders signals denoting orchestration aspects (e.g., color signals indicating group formation) in a way that the signals are collectively perceived. The paper states the problem and presents the proposed solution discussing different designs for the wearable devices.
Community-Based Tourism in Thailand: The Need and Justification for an Operational Definition

In Thailand, any form of tourism that is associated with local and/or indigenous communities is treated as community-based tourism, regardless whether they have actively participated in its development and management and/or if the communities have collectively benefitted from it. Furthermore, community-based tourism is often referred to by several terms, which are used with neither distinction nor agreement. Its definitions or variations of its definitions mostly describe the phenomenon, the objectives, or its principles. This manuscript looks at the characteristics of community-based tourism as it pertains to Thailand, and proposes the adoption of an operational terminology relevant to the practices observed without compromising its principles. Given that community-based tourism and associated terms in Thailand are viewed as complex and confusing, an operational definition will allow a better characterization of community-based tourism, assist in achieving its objectives, and possibly work towards its accreditation. Moreover, an operational definition will allow consumers, partners, investors, and other interested parties to distinguish it from similar
Can TFP analyses of East Asian economic growth yield reasonable estimates of technological change ?

Krugman, Young, Kim & Lau and Collins & Bosworth have argued that the extraordinary record of economic growth in East Asia can be explained adequately by factor accumulation deriving from Abread-and-butter economic forces@ such as high savings rates, good education, and the movement of under-employed peasants into the modern sector. Yet this explanation that it was all based on Aworking harder, not smarter@ is quite at odds with what analysts of technological change have to say about technology acquisition in East Asia over the last few decades. This discrepancy derives from the inability of conventional growth accounting to adequately track technological change. Using selected assessments of technological capability acquisition in East Asia, this paper develops an alternative Aappreciative@ theory of growth (in the sense specified by Richard Nelson). This theory invokes a conception of physical capital as technical knowledge hard-coded in machines and human capital as production-specific knowledge >soft-coded= in people. Human capital is seen not just as initial education, but activity-specific skill built up from production practice. This conceptual framework is then extended to include productivity-enhancing organizational and institutional change which also contribute to aggregate growth. In this theory, clear distinctions are drawn between education, technical knowledge, information and the >social capital= accumulated in formal and informal institutions as implicit knowledge structures. While this new approach to East Asian growth is consistent with the views of technologists and the perspectives of evolutionary economists, it is at variance with the mainstream analysis.