Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Analysis of IEEE 802.15.4

Sensor Network (WSN) consists of a large population of sensor nodes capable of computation, communication and sensing. Limited storage, processing, and transmission power are inherent limitations of WSN. IEEE 802.15. 4 is a new standard, uniquely designed for low rate Wireless Personal Area Network (LR-WPAN), developed for applications that demand low throughput. Main features of this standard are network flexibility, low cost, very low power consumption and low data rate in an ad-hoc self-organizing network. In this paper, performance analysis of IEEE 802.15. 4 is performed using Qualnet 4.5. Star topology, multi-hop peer to peer network along with MANET routing protocols such as AODV, DSR and DYMO are used for analysis of Quality of Service (QoS) parameters like throughput, packet delivery ratio, average end-to-end delay, jitter, total energy consumption, and network scalability as the performance metrics. The comparative analysis of result show that AODV outperforms other two in star topology whereas DSR has slightly upper hand in multi-hop topology for varying traffic loads, and in beacon enabled mode.
The Active vs. Passive Convert: Paradigm Conflict in Conversion/Recruitment Research

Conversion/recruitment research has been guided for years by a traditional paradigm assuming a passive subject being converted by external powers over which no control is possible. The traditional model is also quite psychological and deterministic. A new or alternative paradigm has been developing, derived mainly from studies of recruitment to new religions. It posits a more active, meaning-seeking subject who exercises volition in deciding to convert to a new religion. The conflict between the new and the old paradigms is discussed including characterizing the so-called brainwashing model as a modern variant of the traditional paradigm. Also, the idea of an alternative conversion paradigm is contrasted to other theoretical perspectives from recent papers by Lofland and Skonovd and by Long and Hadden.
Differential Contribution of Hypothalamic MAPK Activity to Anxiety-Like Behaviour in Virgin and Lactating Rats

The c-Raf – MEK1/2 – ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) intracellular signalling cascade in neurons plays important roles in the control of a variety of behaviours, including social behaviours and anxiety. These roles partially overlap with those described for oxytocin (OXT), and it has been shown that OXT activates the MAPK pathway in the hypothalamus (of male), and hippocampus (of female) rats. Here, by combining behavioural (light/dark box) and biochemical analyses (western blotting), we tested two hypotheses: (i) that OXT is anxiolytic within the hypothalamus of females, and (ii) that this effect, as well as that of lactation-associated anxiolysis, depends on the recruitment of the MAPK pathway. We found that, when injected bilaterally into the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), OXT decreased anxiety-like behaviour in virgins, and that this effect depended on phosphorylation of MEK1/2. MAPK pathway activation in lactation was evident by high phosphorylated (p) MEK1/2 levels, and nuclear translocation of ERK1. The high pMEK1/2 levels were necessary for the anxiolytic phenotype typically observed during lactation. Interestingly, exogenous OXT in lactating rats reduced pMEK1/2 levels without a concomitant effect on anxiety, indicating that OXT receptor activation can lead to recruitment of additional intracellular pathways to modulate MEK activity. Still other pathways could include MEK, but without subsequent activation of ERK, as we did not observe any increase in OXT-induced ERK phosphorylation. Together the results demonstrate that the MAPK pathway, especially MEK1/2, is critically involved in the regulation of anxiety-like behaviour in female rats.
Migraine, Tension-Type Headache, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Childhood: A Population-Based Study

Abstract Objectives: Primary headache syndromes (eg, migraine and tension-type headache [TTH]) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are prevalent in childhood and may cause impairment in social and academic functioning. We tested if ADHD or its symptoms are associated with specific headache syndromes or with headache frequency. Study design: Cross-sectional epidemiological study with direct interviews to parents and teachers using validated and standardized questionnaires. Setting: Populational study. Participants: Children aged 5 to 11 years (n = 1856). Outcome measures: Prevalence of ADHD as a function of headache status in crude and adjusted analyses. Results: The prevalence of migraine was 3.76%. Infrequent episodic TTH occurred in 2.3% of the sample, and frequent episodic TTH occurred in 1.6%. The prevalence of ADHD was 6.1%. The prevalence of ADHD was not significantly different by headache category. For hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, the prevalence was 8.1% in children without headache, 23.7% in children with migraine (relative risk [RR], 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6–4.2), and 18.4% in children with probable migraine (RR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.4–3.2). For inattention, no significant differences were seen. In multivariate analyses, ADHD or inattention symptoms were not predicted by headache subtypes or headache frequency. Hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms were significantly associated with any headache (P < 0.01), TTH (P < 0.01), or migraine (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Migraine and TTH are not comorbid to ADHD overall, but are comorbid to hyperactive-impulsive behavior. Providers and educators should be aware of the association.
Spiritually Based Intervention to Increase Colorectal Cancer Awareness Among African Americans: Intermediate Outcomes From a Randomized Trial

Colorectal cancer screening, while effective for reducing mortality, remains underutilized particularly among underserved populations such as African Americans. The present study evaluated a spiritually based approach to increasing Health Belief Model–based pre-screening outcomes in a Community Health Advisor–led intervention conducted in African American churches. Sixteen urban churches were randomized to receive either the spiritually based intervention or a nonspiritual comparison of the same structure and core colorectal cancer content. Trained Community Health Advisors led a series of two educational sessions on colorectal cancer early detection. The educational sessions were delivered over a 1-month period. Participants (N = 316) completed a baseline survey at enrollment and a follow-up survey one month after the first session. Both interventions resulted in significant pre/post increases in knowledge, perceived benefits of screening, and decreases in perceived barriers to screening. Among women, the spiritually based intervention resulted in significantly greater increases in perceived benefits of screening relative to the nonspiritual comparison. This finding was marginal in the sample as a whole. In addition, perceived benefits to screening were associated with behavioral intention for screening. It is concluded that in this population, the spiritually based was generally as effective as the nonspiritual (secular) communication.
Studies on the fibrinolytic enzyme system in obesity

Plasma fibrinolytic activity, inhibitors of fibrinolysis, and fibrinogen were estimated in 34 subjects of varying ratio of observed to standard weight. The inverse relationship between fibrinolytic activity and the ratio of observed to standard weight was confirmed. No significant correlation was found between anti-plasmin or anti-urokinase and the ratio of observed to standard weight. It was therefore concluded that the decreased plasma fibrinolytic activity in obese subjects is due to decreased production of plasminogen activator rather than to excessive inhibition.
RR Lyrae variables in Galactic globular clusters : V. The case of M 3 pulsators

We use our synthetic Horizontal Branch (HB) procedure to approach the debated problem concern- ing the adequacy of canonical HB stellar models to account for the observed peaked distribution of RR Lyrae fundamentalised periods in the globular cluster M3. We find that by assuming a suitable bimodal mass distri- bution, canonical models account for the observed period distribution. In particular, the best fit model, out of nine random extractions, reaches a 99.9 % Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) probability. We also attempt a prediction of the relative distribution of variables in fundamental and first overtone pulsators, reaching a rather satisfactory agreement. However, one finds that canonical models outnumber by roughly a factor of two the observed number of red HB stars. Possible solutions for this discrepancy are outlined. Alternative evolutionary scenarios are also briefly discussed.
Exploring the Relationship between Racial Factors and Critical Social Analysis among a Group of African American Youth

The aim of this study was to investigate the contributions of racial identity and racial socialization beyond peer and parental influence, to the development of critical social analysis in African American youth. Young people perceive injustice and inequality in their world in varying ways. The recognition of societal inequalities, or the development of critical social analysis may be a contributing factor to activism for youth. Factors such as sense of agency, parental and peer influence and intellectual curiosity have previously been explored as contributors to activism for African American youth (Watts, 1999). Study results indicated support for the link between racial identity, racial socialization and a specific factor of critical social analysis. Implications of the findings as well as future directions are discussed. INDEX WORDS: African American, Activism, Sociopolitical development, Critical consciousness, Social analysis, Youth EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RACIAL FACTORS AND CRITICAL SOCIAL ANALYSIS AMONG A GROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH
Multifractal structure and intermittency of laser-generated turbulence in nematic liquid crystals.

We study the chaotic dynamics which occurs in a nematic liquid crystal film during the director reorientation induced by an intense optical field. We show the presence of intermittency in the fluctuations of the transmitted light intensity polarized perpendicularly to the incident beam. The intermittency can safely be described by the multifractal geometry, and, in this framework, we present a simple heuristic model for the phenomenon.
Diosmin Attenuates Methotrexate-Induced Hepatic, Renal, and Cardiac Injury: A Biochemical and Histopathological Study in Mice

The current study was designed to investigate the beneficial role of diosmin, a biologically active flavonoid, against methotrexate- (MTX-) induced hepatic, renal, and cardiac injuries in mice. Male Swiss albino mice received a single intraperitoneal injection of MTX (at 20 mg/kg, body weight) either alone or in combination with oral diosmin (at 50 or 100 mg/kg body weight, for 10 days). Serum was used to evaluate tissue injury markers, while hepatic, renal, and cardiac tissue samples were obtained for determination of antioxidant activity as well as histopathological examination. Diosmin treatment ameliorated the MTX-induced elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase, aminotransferases, urea, creatinine, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinases as well as plasma proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1-beta, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha). Additionally, both diosmin doses significantly reduced tissue levels of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide and increased those of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase, compared to the MTX-intoxicated group. Histopathological examination showed that diosmin significantly minimized the MTX-induced histological alterations and nearly restored the normal architecture of hepatic, renal, and cardiac tissues. Based on these findings, diosmin may be a promising agent for protection against MTX-induced cytotoxicity in patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases.
The Anna Karenina principle: A way of thinking about success in science

The first sentence of Leo Tolstoy's (1875–1877/2001) novel Anna Karenina is: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. ” Here, Tolstoy means that for a family to be happy, several key aspects must be given (e.g., good health of all family members, acceptable financial security, and mutual affection). If there is a deficiency in any one or more of these key aspects, the family will be unhappy. In this article, we introduce the Anna Karenina principle as a way of thinking about success in science in three central areas in (modern) science: (a) peer review of research grant proposals and manuscripts (money and journal space as scarce resources), (b) citation of publications (reception as a scarce resource), and (c) new scientific discoveries (recognition as a scarce resource). If resources are scarce at the highly competitive research front (journal space, funds, reception, and recognition), there can be success only when several key prerequisites for the allocation of the resources are fulfilled. If any one of these prerequisites is not fulfilled, the grant proposal, manuscript submission, the published paper, or the discovery will not be successful. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Livestock-associated risk factors for pneumonia in an area of intensive animal farming in the Netherlands

Previous research conducted in 2009 found a significant positive association between pneumonia in humans and living close to goat and poultry farms. However, as this result might have been affected by a large goat-related Q fever epidemic, the aim of the current study was to re-evaluate this association, now that the Q-fever epidemic had ended. In 2014/15, 2,494 adults (aged 20–72 years) living in a livestock-dense area in the Netherlands participated in a medical examination and completed a questionnaire on respiratory health, lifestyle and other items. We retrieved additional information for 2,426/2,494 (97%) participants from electronic medical records (EMR) from general practitioners. The outcome was self-reported, physician-diagnosed pneumonia or pneumonia recorded in the EMR in the previous three years. Livestock license data was used to determine exposure to livestock. We quantified associations between livestock exposures and pneumonia using odds ratios adjusted for participant characteristics and comorbidities (aOR). The three-year cumulative frequency of pneumonia was 186/2,426 (7.7%). Residents within 2,000m of a farm with at least 50 goats had an increased risk of pneumonia, which increased the closer they lived to the farm (2,000m aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4–2.6; 500m aOR 4.4, 95% CI 2.0–9.8). We found no significant associations between exposure to other farm animals and pneumonia. However, when conducting sensitivity analyses using pneumonia outcome based on EMR only, we found a weak but statistically significant association with presence of a poultry farm within 1,000m (aOR: 1.7, 95% CI 1.1–2.7). Living close to goat and poultry farms still constitute risk factors for pneumonia. Individuals with pneumonia were not more often seropositive for Coxiella burnetii, indicating that results are not explained by Q fever. We strongly recommend identification of pneumonia causes by the use of molecular diagnostics and investigating the role of non-infectious agents such as particulate matter or endotoxins.
Denominational influences on socially divisive issues : Polarization or continuity?

Research on denominational affiliation and its influence on individual attitudes has increased recently due to widespread interest in whether the United States has become increasingly polarized on a variety of divisive social issues, even while demographic differences among denominations have decreased. However, recent empirical research has, in general, failed to support a polarization argument. Using 22 years of data from the General Social Surveys, we analyze changes over time in the relative variability and distribution of attitudes toward family issues (abortion, gender roles, and sexual behavior) within denominational groups after controlling for the effects of demographic covariates and church attendance. The results show that adjusted coefficients of variation and kurtoses have changed inconsistently. For example, although there has been a decreasing trend in relative variation about women's roles and premarital sex, measures of kurtosis fail to indicate a flattening or peaking of the distributions among denominational groups. However, attitudes toward abortion among conservative and moderate Protestants have become relatively more variable and have moved in the direction of bimodality as gauged by decreasing kurtoses. Similarly, moderate Protestants show increasing relative variability and movement toward bimodality with regard to attitudes toward homosexual relations. These results indicate that, except for a couple of notable examples, attitudes among members of denominational groups have not generally become more polarized over time.
Resistance of the Spacing Effect to Variations in Encoding

Orienting tasks were employed in two experiments to examine the encoding variability explanation of the spacing effect. Subjects were presented word lists that included items that were repeated with either no items or five items intervening between presentations. In addition, the orienting task required was the same or different on the two presentations. According to the encoding-variability hypothesis, the orienting tasks should tend to override the usual effect of spacing of repetitions by encouraging or discouraging variable encoding. However, free recall of the lists revealed significantly better performance with spaced repetitions, independent of the orienting tasks, thus disconfirming the hypothesis.
Rapid multislice imaging of hyperpolarized 13C pyruvate and bicarbonate in the heart

Hyperpolarization of spins via dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has been explored as a method to non‐invasively study real‐time metabolic rocesses occurring in vivo using 13C‐labeled substrates. Recently, hyperpolarized 13C pyruvate has been used to characterize in vivo cardiac metabolism in the rat and pig. Conventional 3D spectroscopic imaging methods require in excess of 100 excitations, making it challenging to acquire a full cardiac‐gated, breath‐held, whole‐heart volume. In this article, the development of a rapid multislice cardiac‐gated spiral 13C imaging pulse sequence consisting of a large flip‐angle spectral‐spatial excitation RF pulse combined with a single‐shot spiral k‐space trajectory for rapid imaging of cardiac metabolism is described. This sequence permits whole‐heart coverage (6 slices, 8.8‐mm in‐plane resolution) in any plane, allowing imaging of the metabolites of interest, [1‐ 13C] pyruvate, [1‐ 13C] lactate, and 13C bicarbonate, within a single breathhold. Pyruvate and bicarbonate cardiac volumes were acquired, while lactate images were not acquired due to low lactate levels in the animal model studied. The sequence was demonstrated with phantom experiments and in vivo testing in a pig model. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Canine visceral leishmaniasis in Sicily.

The Sicilian province of Catania is an active foci for human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Mediterranean area. Approximately 10 to 15 cases of VL are diagnosed via hospital admissions each year in this community. Recently, an increase in VL case reporting by Sicilian physicians was noted, with 38 and 37 VL cases in 1996 and 1997, respectively. Before 1995, there were no reported VL cases among U.S. military personnel or their family members living in Sicily. However, since 1996, there have been four cases referred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for diagnosis and treatment, all involving the children of personnel assigned to Naval Air Station Sigonella. Exposure histories for all infected individuals excluded exposure to Leishmania parasites outside of Sicily. All patients lived in areas where vectoring sandflies are present. All had dogs as family pets. To evaluate the level of infection among dogs owned by Navy personnel and their families, U.S. Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit 7, in a collaborative study with the U.S. Army Veterinary Clinic, Naval Air Station Sigonella, and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, performed clinical evaluation and serological testing of 50 dogs residing with U.S. personnel assigned to Naval Air Station Sigonella. The data indicate a high exposure rate to Leishmania (60% of the animals tested had elevated immunoglobulin M antibody levels) in the study population, suggesting that they were infected with Leishmania infantum. Distribution of seropositive dogs by sex was equal. Most of the dogs studied appeared to be in good health. However, inapparent infection of dogs, seen by Italian veterinarians, has been observed throughout all areas of Catania. Sandflies responsible for vectoring L. infantum were trapped in the same locations as the dogs sampled in this study. The level of subclinical infection was 75% among seropositive dogs. The overall level of canine infection observed was higher than expected. This study demonstrates an increased risk to military working dogs and companion dogs of U.S. personnel for infection with L. infantum during a 2- to 3-year tour in Sicily.
word2vec Explained: deriving Mikolov et al.'s negative-sampling word-embedding method

The word2vec software of Tomas Mikolov and colleagues (this https URL ) has gained a lot of traction lately, and provides state-of-the-art word embeddings. The learning models behind the software are described in two research papers. We found the description of the models in these papers to be somewhat cryptic and hard to follow. While the motivations and presentation may be obvious to the neural-networks language-modeling crowd, we had to struggle quite a bit to figure out the rationale behind the equations. This note is an attempt to explain equation (4) (negative sampling) in "Distributed Representations of Words and Phrases and their Compositionality" by Tomas Mikolov, Ilya Sutskever, Kai Chen, Greg Corrado and Jeffrey Dean.
Authigenic 10Be/9Be ratio signatures of the cosmogenic nuclide production linked to geomagnetic dipole moment variation since the Brunhes/Matuyama boundary

Geomagnetic dipole moment variations associated with polarity reversals and excursions are expressed by large changes of the cosmogenic nuclide beryllium‐10 (10Be) production rates. Authigenic 10Be/9Be ratios (proxy of atmospheric 10Be production) from oceanic cores therefore complete the classical information derived from relative paleointensity (RPI) records. This study presents new authigenic 10Be/9Be ratio results obtained from cores MD05‐2920 and MD05‐2930 collected in the west equatorial Pacific Ocean. Be ratios from cores MD05‐2920, MD05‐2930 and MD90‐0961 have been stacked and averaged. Variations of the authigenic 10Be/9Be ratio are analyzed and compared with the geomagnetic dipole low series reported from global RPI stacks. The largest 10Be overproduction episodes are related to dipole field collapses (below a threshold of 2 × 1022 Am2) associated with the Brunhes/Matuyama reversal, the Laschamp (41 ka) excursion, and the Iceland Basin event (190 ka). Other significant 10Be production peaks are correlated to geomagnetic excursions reported in literature. The record was then calibrated by using absolute dipole moment values drawn from the Geomagia and Pint paleointensity value databases. The 10Be‐derived geomagnetic dipole moment record, independent from sedimentary paleomagnetic data, covers the Brunhes‐Matuyama transition and the whole Brunhes Chron. It provides new and complementary data on the amplitude and timing of millennial‐scale geomagnetic dipole moment variations and particularly on dipole moment collapses triggering polarity instabilities.