Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cooperation in static and mobile sensor-based platforms for situation, activity and goal awareness

Advances in sensing coupled with mechanisms for low power wireless networking have enabled the possibility of creating deeply instrumented physical spaces. Sensor devices in such environments digitally capture the state of the evolving physical systems and processes creating situational awareness of the activities in the instrumented space. In this paper, we start by highlighting the importance of cooperation in both static and mobile sensor-based platforms to achieve situation, activity and goal awareness. We later propose a new service-oriented solution referred to as CaaS (Cooperation as a Service) which enables improved and new services for the road users and an optimized use of the road network through vehicle's cooperation and vehicle-to-vehicle communications. We implemented and tested our solution using Opnet simulator. Simulation results show that high performance is achieved by deploying our protocol.
Nitric oxide opposes phorbol ester-induced increases in pulmonary microvascular permeability in dogs.

In addition to its effects on vascular tone, nitric oxide (NO) has been suggested to function as a participant in fluid homeostasis affecting interactions between the endothelium and circulating inflammatory cells. The role of NO in the increased microvascular permeability of acute lung injury, however, remains controversial. We investigated the hypothesis that NO opposes increases in pulmonary vascular permeability after phorbol myristate acetate administration, i.e., in a model of neutrophil-dependent acute lung injury. In anesthetized dogs, phorbol myristate acetate (10 microg/kg, i.v.) had no effect on pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa) or extravascular lung water. After pretreatment with the NO synthesis inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (10 mg/kg, i.v. ; 5 mg/kg/hr), an identical dose of phorbol myristate acetate resulted in a 20 +/- 8 mm Hg (P < .01) increase in pulmonary arterial pressure and a 186 +/- 86% (P < .01) increase in extravascular lung water. To determine if the pulmonary edema was related to increases in microvascular pressure or to changes in the microvascular permeability coefficient, experiments were performed in isolated blood-perfused dog lungs. The addition of phorbol myristate acetate (4.2 x 10(-8) M) to the perfusate was without effect on microvascular pressure or pulmonary capillary filtration coefficient. However, after NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (100 microM), phorbol myristate acetate resulted in increases in both microvascular pressure and permeability coefficient that were prevented by pretreatment with L-arginine (1 mM). These data support the hypothesis that endogenous NO opposes increases in pulmonary vascular permeability as well as microvascular pressure in this neutrophil-dependent model of acute lung injury resulting in preservation of the endothelial barrier to the passage of water and solutes and prevention of the formation of pulmonary edema.
Building School-Community Partnerships: Collaboration for Student Success

Foreword by Joyce L. Epstein Preface Acknowledgments About the Author 1. Community Involvement: Why and What? Rationales for Community Involvement in Schools Community Involvement in Schools: Form and Fashion Obstacles to Community Partnerships Summary 2. A Closer Look at Common Community Partnerships Business Partnerships University Partnerships Service Learning Partnerships School-Linked Service Integration Faith-Based Partnerships Summary 3. Components of Successful Community Partnerships High-Functioning Schools Student-Centered Learning Environments Effective Partnership Teams Principal Leadership External Support Summary 4. Building Capacity for Successful Community Partnerships: A Vignette The School The Goal The Team The Project The Community Partners The Results Lessons Learned Summary 5. Bringing the Community In: An Elementary School Story Background Community Partners Commitment to Students' Learning Principal Leadership Action Team for Partnerships Welcoming School Climate Two-Way Communication Summary 6. Creating Closer Community Ties: A High School Study Background Principal Leadership A Student Focus Community Partners and Activities Summary 7. Promising Practices for Community Partnerships Activity 1: Goal--Improve Reading (2004) Activity 2: Goal--Improve Math Skills (2003) Activity 3: Goal--Increase Students' Awareness of Career Opportunities (2001) Activity 4: Goal--Improve Ninth-Grade Performance on State Proficiency Exam (2002) Activity 5: Goal--Improve Student Writing and Technology Skills (2002) Activity 6: Goal--Improve Student Reading (2002) Activity 7: Goal--Improve School Landscaping (2002) Activity 8: Goal--Provide Community Service (2002) Activity 9: Goal--Improve Student Oral and Written Communication (2004) Activity 10: Goal--Improve Facilities for Students With Disabilities (2004) Activity 11: Goal--Improve Student Science Skills (2000) Activity 12: Goal--Provide Afterschool Activities for Middle School Students (2000) Summary 8. Preparing Educational Leaders for Community Partnerships: A Workshop Agenda Building Community Partnerships Agenda Summary 9. Concluding Thoughts Resource A: Sample Activities Activity 1: Locating Community Partners Activity 2: Improving the Partnership Process Activity 3: Improving Community Partnership Quality Activity 4: Garnering Principal Support for Partnerships Resource B: Sample Letters Sample Letter 1: Partnership Communication Sample Letter 2: Partnership Activity Follow-Up Endnotes References Index
Handclapping songs: a spontaneous platform for child development among 5–10‐year‐old children

The impact of music activity on children’s motor and cognitive skills has been investigated with music learning, instrument lessons and classroom music. While none have employed natural utterances, singing games or playground/street songs, these musical experiences of childhood are acknowledged as a major platform for child development. The current study isolated handclapping songs exploring the association of performance quality with classroom academic achievement and examined whether children who spontaneously engage in handclapping songs activity demonstrate improved motor or cognitive abilities. Finally, the study investigated the outcome of a two‐group eight‐week classroom intervention. The study found that: (1) children who were more skillful at performing handclapping songs were more efficient First Graders; (2) Second Graders who spontaneously engage in handclapping songs were advantaged in bimanual coupling patterns, verbal memory and handwriting; and (3) classroom handclapping songs training was more efficient than music appreciation classes in developing non‐music skills among Second and Third Graders.
Distinct Inhibitory Neurons Exert Temporally Specific Control over Activity of a Motoneuron ReceivingConcurrent Excitation and Inhibition

Recent work suggests that concurrent excitation and inhibition originating in central pattern generators (CPGs) may be used to control rhythmic motoneuronal activity. The specific roles that the inhibition plays in such cases are not well understood, however, in part because of the lack of identification of presynaptic inhibitory neurons. Here we demonstrate that, in the Aplysia feeding CPG, inhibitory inputs may be critical for flexible control of the activity of motoneurons in different forms of behavior. The feeding CPG generates ingestive and egestive motor programs, differing in the high and low activity, respectively, of the motoneuron B8 during the retraction phase of the programs. We show that, during retraction, B8 receives concurrent excitation and inhibition that produces a high-conductance state. The inhibition originates in two types of CPG neurons, B4/5 and B70, that are more active in egestion than ingestion and play a role in suppressing B8 activity during egestion. In turn, the activities of both B4/5 and B70 are suppressed by the ingestion-promoting descending interneuron CBI-3 (for cerebral–buccal interneuron 3). Thus, concurrent excitation and inhibition may be an effective means of controlling motoneuronal activity in a behavior-dependent manner. More detailed analyses reveal, furthermore, that B4/5 and B70 exert complementary actions by acting preferentially in the early and late part of retraction, respectively. Thus, the use of multiple neurons to generate inhibitory inputs to motoneurons that receive concurrent excitation and inhibition brings an additional level of flexibility that allows a temporally specific control of motoneuronal activity within a single phase of motor programs.
Enforcing the rule of law : social accountability in the new Latin American democracies

Reports of scandal and corruption have led to the downfall of numerous political leaders in Latin America in recent years. What conditions have developed that allow for the exposure of wrongdoing and the accountability of leaders? ""Enforcing the Rule of Law"" examines how elected officials in Latin American democracies have come under scrutiny from new forms of political control, and how these social accountability mechanisms have been successful in counteracting corruption and the limitations of established institutions. This volume reveals how legal claims, media interventions, civic organizations, citizen committees, electoral observation panels, and other watchdog groups have become effective tools for monitoring political authorities. Their actions have been instrumental in exposing government crime, bringing new issues to the public agenda, and influencing or even reversing policy decisions. ""Enforcing the Rule of Law"" presents compelling accounts of the emergence of civic action movements and their increasing political influence in Latin America, and sheds new light on the state of democracy in the region.
Phosphorylation of BK channels modulates the sensitivity to hydrogen sulfide (H2S)

Introduction: Gases, such as nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), or hydrogen sulfide (H2S), termed gasotransmitters, play an increasingly important role in understanding of how electrical signaling of cells is modulated. H2S is well-known to act on various ion channels and receptors. In a previous study we reported that H2S increased calcium-activated potassium (BK) channel activity. Aims: The goal of the present study is to investigate the modulatory effect of BK channel phosphorylation on the action of H2S on the channel as well as to recalculate and determine the H2S concentrations in aqueous sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS) solutions. Methods: Single channel recordings of GH3, GH4, and GH4 STREX cells were used to analyze channel open probability, amplitude, and open dwell times. H2S was measured with an anion selective electrode. Results: The concentration of H2S produced from NaHS was recalculated taking pH, temperature salinity of the perfusate, and evaporation of H2S into account. The results indicate that from a concentration of 300 μM NaHS, only 11–13%, i.e., 34–41 μM is effective as H2S in solution. GH3, GH4, and GH4 STREX cells respond differently to phosphorylation. BK channel open probability (Po) of all cells lines used was increased by H2S in ATP-containing solutions. PKA prevented the action of H2S on channel Po in GH4 and GH4 STREX, but not in GH3 cells. H2S, high significantly increased Po of all PKG pretreated cells. In the presence of PKC, which lowers channel activity, H2S increased channel Po of GH4 and GH4 STREX, but not those of GH3 cells. H2S increased open dwell times of GH3 cells in the absence of ATP significantly. A significant increase of dwell times with H2S was also observed in the presence of okadaic acid. Conclusions: Our results suggest that phosphorylation by PKG primes the channels for H2S activation and indicate that channel phosphorylation plays an important role in the response to H2S.
Are NGOs the Better Donors? A Case Study of Aid Allocation for Sweden

This paper analyzes whether and to what extent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) outperform official donors by allocating aid in a way that renders effective poverty alleviation more likely. We employ Probit and Tobit models and make use of an exceptionally detailed database that allows an assessment of the allocation of Swedish NGO aid in comparison to the allocation of Swedish official aid. Our results show that NGOs are more selective when deciding about which countries to enter at all. Moreover, in contrast to NGO aid, there is some evidence that political and commercial motives matter for the selection of ODA recipients. However, the Swedish case also supports the skeptical view according to which NGOs are unlikely to outperform official donors by providing better targeted aid when it comes to the allocation across recipients having passed the eligibility test.
The Effects of Small K-8 Centers Compared to Large 6-8 Schools on Student Performance

K-8 center combines grades in one location or school that are usually assigned to a separate 1I elementary (K-5) and middle school (6-8). In 1998 the School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, approved a pilot program to introduce to the district the concept of K-8 centers. Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) initiated two K-8 centers during the 1998-99 school year. Three additional K-8 centers opened the following year in 1999-2000. In 2001-02, two additional K-8 centers were opened. In recent years, many large and small school districts have moved to adopt the K-8 center model. School systems in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Oklahoma City, to name a few, have changed, or are in the process of changing, all or most of their middle schools to the K-8 model.
Post-Mortem Examination of the International Financial Network

As the recent crisis has forcefully suggested, understanding financial-market interconnectedness is of a paramount importance to explain systemic risk, stability and economic dynamics. In this paper, we address these issues along two related perspectives. First, we explore the statistical properties of the International Financial Network (IFN), defined as a weighted-directed graph where nodes are countries and links represent debtor–creditor relationships in equities and short/long-run debt. We investigate whether the 2008 financial crisis has resulted in a significant change in the topological properties of the IFN. Our findings suggest that the crisis caused not only a reduction in the amount of securities traded, but also induced changes in the topology of the network and in the time evolution of its statistical properties. This has happened, however, without changing the disassortative, core-periphery structure of the IFN architecture. Second, we perform an econometric study to examine the ability of network-based measures to explain cross-country differences in crisis intensity. We investigate whether the conclusion of previous studies showing that international connectedness is not a relevant predictor of crisis intensity may be reversed, once one explicitly accounts for the position of each country within the IFN. We show that higher interconnectedness reduces the severity of the crisis, as it allows adverse shocks to dissipate quicker. However, being central in the network may make countries that are not members of a rich club more vulnerable in times of crisis. Finally, we find strong evidence of nonlinear effects, once the high degree of heterogeneity that characterizes the IFN is taken into account.
Sharp adaptive estimation of the drift function for ergodic diffusions

The global estimation problem of the drift function is considered for a large class of ergodic diffusion processes. The unknown drift S(·) is supposed to belong to a nonparametric class of smooth functions of order k ≥ 1, but the value of k is not known to the statistician. A fully data-driven procedure of estimating the drift function is proposed, using the estimated risk minimization method. The sharp adaptivity of this procedure is proven up to an optimal constant, when the quality of the estimation is measured by the integrated squared error weighted by the square of the invariant density.
Differential regulation of sympathetic burst frequency and amplitude following acute hypoxia

Current evidence suggests that the persistent sympathetic nerve activity (SNA), commonly observed following exposure to hypoxia (HX), is mediated by chemoreceptor sensitization and baroreflex resetting. Evidence in animals suggests that these reflexes may independently regulate the frequency (gating) and amplitude (neuronal recruitment) of SNA bursts. In humans (n=7) we examined the regulation of SNA following acute isocapnic HX (5 min; end‐tidal PO2 = 45 Torr) and euoxic hypercapnia (HC; 5 min; end‐tidal PCO2 = +10 from baseline). HX increased SNA burst frequency (21±7 to 28±8 Burst/min, P<0.05) and amplitude (99±10 to 125±19 au, P<0.05) as did HC (14±6 to 22±10 bursts/min, P<0.05 and 100±12 to 133±29 au, P<0.05 respectively). Burst frequency (26±7 bursts/min, P<0.05), but not amplitude (97±12 au), remained elevated 10 min post HX. Both frequency and amplitude decreased during recovery following HC. These data clearly indicate two separate mechanisms, related to HX, regulating the pattern and magnitude of sympathetic outflow in humans. This study was supported by NSERC.
The Effects of Organizational and Individual Career Management on Career Success (Влияние организационного и индивидуального управления карьерой на успех в карьерном росте)

Examines the effects of organizational and individual career management on the career success of 120 supervisory managers. A special 35-item Organization Career Management Scale was developed from a workshop held with ten personnel managers from organizations employing the participants. Significant correlations were obtained between organization career management, as perceived by the subjects, and indicators of career success. The correlations between individual career planning and tactics, and the same indicators of career success, were also significant. Finally, individual career planning and tactics added significantly to the amount of variation in career success explained by organization career management, supporting a "joint responsibility" perspective of career management in organizations. Develops implications of these findings for practice.
Salvage of Intraoperative Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap Venous Congestion with Augmentation of Venous Outflow: Flap Morbidity and Review of the Literature

Background: Breast reconstruction with deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flaps has gained considerable popularity due to reduced donor-site morbidity. Previous studies have identified the superficial venous system as the dominant outflow to DIEP flaps. DIEP flap venous congestion occurs if superficial venous outflow via the deep venous system is insufficient for effective flap drainage. Although augmentation of venous outflow through a second venous anastomosis may relieve venous congestion, effects on flap morbidity remain ill defined. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1616 patients who underwent 2618 DIEP flap breast reconstructions between March 2005 and January 2012 was performed. Patients with intraoperative venous congestion underwent a second venous anastomosis. Preoperative demographic data and methods used to relieve venous congestion were recorded. Incidence of flap morbidity was calculated and compared with a group of 418 controls having 639 DIEP flap breast reconstructions with no venous congestion. Results: Venous augmentation was required to relieve venous congestion in 87 (3.3%) DIEP flaps on 81 patients. The superficial inferior epigastric vein or accompanying deep inferior epigastric venae comitantes was used to augment venous outflow. Preoperative comorbidities were similar between both groups. Patients requiring a second venous anastomosis had a longer operative time and length of hospital stay. Overall, flap morbidity, delayed wound healing, fat necrosis, and flap loss were similar to controls. Conclusions: Arterial and venous anatomies play unique roles in flap reliability. DIEP flap venous congestion must be treated expeditiously with venous augmentation to relieve venous congestion and mitigate flap morbidity.
Factors Contributing to the Success of a Single-Shot, Multiyear PZP Immunocontraceptive Vaccine for White-Tailed Deer

We evaluated 6 different porcine zona pellucida (PZP) preparations used as a single-shot vaccine for multiyear contraception of captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus vir- ginianus). The study compared 2 PZP preparation technologies from ImmunoVaccine Tech- nologies™ (IVT) and National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) over a 7-year period. The study compared both the use of oil in an emulsion and in suspension delivery, as well as replacement of the oil with an alum adjuvant. The study demonstrated that the oil emulsion adjuvant provided the longest lasting response. PZP isolated by the IVT provides a longer- lasting response than the preparation used by NWRC. The SpayVac TM and IVT-PZP vaccines presented in an emulsion form with AdjuVac™ produce a single-shot immunocontraceptive vaccine lasting up to 7 years.
IQ and Global Inequality

This new book by Richard Lynn and Tatu Vanhanen is an elaboration of their IQ and the Wealth of Nations in which they presented measured IQs for 81 nations and estimated IQs for the remaining nations in the world (Total N = 185 countries) (Lynn & Vanhanen, 2002). They showed that these IQs correlated around 0.70 with per capita income and rates of economic development. This was predictable, they argued, because intelligence is correlated with earnings among individuals. Nations are aggregates of individuals so the same correlation would be expected across nations. This was a very bold claim. The causes of national differences in wealth are one of the major problems in economics on which hundreds of books have been written and to which several journals are devoted. The problem has also been addressed by sociologists (Max Weber), historians (David Landes), psychologists (David McClelland) and most recently by an evolutionary biologist (Jared Diamond). None of these have suggested—dared to suggest? —that national differences in intelligence might be a major factor determining why some nations are so rich while others are so poor. In advancing their intelligence theory, Lynn and Vanhanen begin by noting that economists regard it as axiomatic that all peoples of the world have the same intelligence. For instance, Easterlin (1981), the Kenan Professor of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania has written, ‘‘I think we can safely dismiss the view that the failure of modern technological knowledge to spread rapidly was due to significant differences among nations in the native intelligence of their populations. To my knowledge there are no studies that definitively establish differences, say, in basic IQ among the peoples of the world’’ (p. 5). More recently, two other economists, Eric Hanushek of the Hoover Institution and Dennis Kimko of the American National Bureau of Economic Research reiterated this position: ‘‘we assume that the international level of average ability of students does not vary across countries’’ (Hanushek & Kimko, 2000, p. 1191). Lynn and Vanhanen have examined the assumption of economists that the average level of intelligence is the same in all nations and shown that it is seriously wrong. To the contrary, there are huge national differences in intelligence that range between averages of 67 in sub-Saharan Africa to 105 in the ‘‘Asian tiger’’ economies of the Pacific Rim. Like many important discoveries in science, it seems obvious in retrospect that these national differences in intelligence must inevitably determine differences in economic development. Indeed, it seems astonishing that no-one