Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling of Context Information for Pervasive Computing Applications

In a dynamic heterogeneous environment, such as Pervasive Computing, context-aware adaptation is a key concept to meet the varying requirements of different clients. In order to enable context-aware adaptation, context information must be gathered and eventually presented to the application performing the adaptation. Therefore, a common representation format for the context information is required. In this paper we examine possible representation formats for context information. We discuss requirements for such a representation format and how those requirements are met by existing approaches. Based on our findings about the flaws of existing approaches we propose a novel representation format that is comprehensive and thoroughly structured to meet all the requirements: Comprehensive Structured Context Profiles (CSCP). CSCP is based on the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and overcomes the shortcomings of the Composite Capability/Preference Profiles language (CC/PP) regarding structuring. Furthermore it extends the mechanisms to express user preferences.
Anthropometric parameters of growth and nutritional status in children aged 6 to 7 years in R. Macedonia.

PURPOSE Evaluation of age- and sex-specific differences of anthropometric parameters that were used as indicators of growth and nutritional status in children aged 6 and 7 years in R. Macedonia and their comparison with the WHO and NCHS reference values. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 580 children aged 6 to 7 years from different regions of R. Macedonia. Eighteen anthropometric parameters were measured using standard equipment and measurement technique according to the International Biological Programme. The following nutritional indicators were calculated: BMI, weight-for-height, weight-for-age and height-for-age. RESULTS The majority of anthropometric parameters have shown significant age- and sex-specific differences in favour of male subjects, with exception of skin-folds that were apparently higher in female subjects. Values at the 50th percentile in our male subjects for the index weight-for-age were 23 kg and 26.95 kg, respectively, whereas in the female subjects they were 22 kg and 25 kg, respectively. The index height-for-age corresponding to the 50th percentile showed higher values in our male subjects (119.5 cm and 125.55 cm) than in our female subjects (118 cm and 124.5 cm, respectively). 50th percentile in our male subjects for BMI was 16.48 kg/m2 and 16.75 kg/m2, whereas in our female subjects it was 15.98 kg/m2 and 16.25 kg/m2, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The found values are recommended to be applied for evaluation of deviations in the growth and nutritional status in children aged 6 and 7 years from Macedonian nationality.
Lectures on D-branes and Sheaves

These notes are a writeup of lectures given at the twelfth Oporto meeting on “Geometry, Topology, and Physics,” and at the Adelaide workshop “Strings and Mathematics 2003,” primarily geared towards a physics audience. We review current work relating boundary states in the open string B model on Calabi-Yau manifolds to sheaves. Such relationships provide us with a mechanism for counting open string states in situations where the physical spectrum calculation is essentially intractable – after translating to mathematics, such calculations become easy. We describe several different approaches to these models, and also describe how these models are changed by varying physical circumstances – flat B field backgrounds, orbifolds, and nonzero Higgs vevs. We also discuss mathematical interpretations of operator products, and how such mathematical interpretations can be checked physically. One of the motivations for this work is to understand the precise physical relationship between boundary states in the open string B model and derived categories in mathematics, and we outline what is currently known of the relationship.
Optimal design of logical topologies in wavelength-routed optical networks with multicast traffic

In this paper we discuss the optimal design of logical topologies in wavelength-routed WDM networks supporting unicast and multicast transfer of IP datagrams. We first explain the key aspects of the problem, emphasizing the fact that in IP networks the routing algorithms are an input to the optimization problem, not an optimization target. We then provide a mixed integer linear programming formulation of the optimization problem. , which however leads to unacceptably high complexity for networks of non-trivially small size. We then propose both greedy and metaheuristic approaches for the sub-optimal design of logical topologies with acceptable complexity. Finally, we derive lower bounds that allow the assessment of the performance of the proposed algorithms. Some numerical results indicate that the proposed metaheuristics largely outperform the greedy approaches, and are able to obtain very good logical topologies.
Further Support for the Motivational Explanation of Self-Other Similarity Judgment Asymmetry

Self-other similarity judgment asymmetry refers to the tendency of people to judge others to be more similar to themselves than they judge themselves to be similar to others. This effect can be explained with both a cognitive model (Tversky, 1977) and a motivational explanation (Codol, 1987). Recent research has provided initial evidence for the core assumption of the motivational explanation and tested a hypothesis that can only be derived from the motivational explanation. The present study aims to provide further evidence for the motivational explanation by testing another hypothesis derived from it that goes beyond the cognitive model. Our results show that participants with a strong need for uniqueness tended to exhibit self-other asymmetry, but only with respect to attributes that were difficult to falsify.
Estimating Bilateral Exposures in the German Interbank Market: Is There a Danger of Contagion?

Credit risk associated with interbank lending may lead to domino effects, where the failure of one bank results in the failure of other banks not directly affected by the initial shock. Recent work in economic theory shows that this risk of contagion depends on the precise pattern of interbank linkages. We use balance sheet information to estimate the matrix of bilateral credit relationships for the German banking system and test whether the breakdownof a single bank can lead to contagion. We find that the financial safety net (institutional guarantees for saving banks and cooperative banks) considerably reduces - but does not eliminate - the danger of contagion. Even so, the failure of a single bank could lead to the breakdown of up to 15% of the banking system in terms of assets.
Effects of Playing Computerized versus Tactile Learning Games on Preschoolers’ Attention Skills and Comprehension: A Pilot Study

The ability to attend to relevant information and resist attention to distractors is important for children’s cognitive development. Much has been written in the news about the impact of electronic media on children’s development of attention skills, but little research has been done explicitly comparing children’s attention to relevant information and resistance to distractions across activities that are presented as either a computerized or tactile learning game. The goal of this study is to compare levels of attention and distraction among preschool-aged children while they engage in a common childhood activity, playing a board game that is either presented in a computerized or tactile format. Children’s basic comprehension of the game across conditions was also compared. Participants consisted of twelve families (N=12), each including one parent and one preschooler (Age 3-6). Participants were randomly assigned to either the computerized or tactile condition. The Linear Numbers Board Game (Siegler & Ramani, 2009), which has shown to be helpful in teaching children about the number line, was used as the task. Children’s attention, distraction, and understanding were coded to determine how computerized and tactile games affect these skills. Results suggested that older children attended more to the game regardless of the condition and also made fewer errors. However, children paid more attention and were less distracted in the tactile version of the game, but also had a harder time understanding the tactile version of the game. Dedication or Acknowledgements Special thanks to my advisor, Dr. Mary Fuhs, for the constant guidance throughout the development of this thesis, as well as the Psychology Department and Honors Program here at the University of Dayton for providing the support and resources to make this thesis possible.
Towards a critical stylistics of disability

This article sets out the initial terrain for a critical stylistics of disability exposing the linguistic structures that encode often harmful ideologies surrounding disabled people. Disabled people are represented in literature and the media in general as 'other', and as curiosities to be described and explained. They are represented stereotypically as pitiable, evil, burdensome, as 'Super Cripples' or super humans, or as self-pitying. Such depictions can be internalised by and harmful to disabled people. Analysis will need to acknowledge that disabled people are frequently foregrounded as socially deviant in representations. Areas for analysis will include the author status as disabled or non-disabled, narrative mode, and the use of disability as metaphor. However, major areas for study will be description in noun phrases, transitivity analysis and the language of appraisal and evaluation. These can be scrutinised to expose the manner in which ideologies and stereotypes of disability are encoded.
Chinese and European American Undergraduates’ Perceptions of Maternal Warmth and Negativity as Predictors of Self-Esteem and Life Satisfaction

This study examined whether culture moderated the associations between Chinese and European American undergraduates’ perceptions of parental warmth and negativity, and how these perceptions predicted undergraduates’ levels of self-esteem and subsequent life satisfaction. Participants consisted of 207 undergraduates (95 female, 112 male) from Wuhu, Anhui, China, and 129 (75 female, 54 male) European American undergraduates from Columbia, Missouri, the United States. Path analyses were conducted to examine the mediating role of self-esteem in the associations between parental warmth and negativity and young adults’ life satisfaction. Maternal warmth and negativity were more strongly negatively associated in the European American group than in the Chinese group; moreover, both warmth and negativity predicted self-esteem in the Chinese group, but only negativity predicted self-esteem in the European American group. Self-esteem significantly predicted life satisfaction in both groups, but the association was significantly stronger in the European American group. The results suggest cultural differences in the links between parental warmth and negativity, self-esteem, and subsequent life satisfaction. Therefore, it is important to consider parental warmth and negativity as separate constructs, because their associations with each other and with children’s levels of adjustment may vary across cultures.
Assembly of vaccinia virus: role of the intermediate compartment between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi stacks

Vaccinia virus, the prototype of the Poxviridae, is a large DNA virus which replicates in the cytoplasm of the host cell. The assembly pathway of vaccinia virus displays several unique features, such as the production of two structurally distinct, infectious forms. One of these, termed intracellular naked virus (INV), remains cells associated while the other, termed extracellular enveloped virus (EEV), is released from the cell. In addition, it has long been believed that INVs acquire their lipid envelopes by a unique example of de novo membrane biogenesis. To examine the structure and assembly of vaccinia virus we have used immunoelectron microscopy using antibodies to proteins of different subcellular compartments as well as a phospholipid analysis of purified INV and EEV. Our data are not consistent with the de novo model of viral membrane synthesis but rather argue that the vaccinia virus DNA becomes enwrapped by a membrane cisterna derived from the intermediate compartment between the ER and the Golgi stacks, thus acquiring two membranes in one step. Phospholipid analysis of purified INV supports its derivation from an early biosynthetic compartment. This unique assembly process is repeated once more when the INV becomes enwrapped by an additional membrane cisterna, in agreement with earlier reports. The available data suggest that after fusion between the outer envelope and the plasma membrane, mature EEV is released from the cell.
Scalable simulation of a Disaster Response Agent-based network Management and Adaptation System (DRAMAS)

Abstract The objective of this paper is to advance the study of disaster response and recovery (generally, disaster relief) by providing tools and insights to agencies that work in disaster relief. This paper is built on extensive research of disaster relief literature and practice, and provides a comprehensive analysis of agency posturing following an extreme event. We present the Disaster Response Agent-based network Management and Adaptation System (DRAMAS) model, which uses stochastic processes to model the complex interactions between relief agencies of different sizes and capabilities. The DRAMAS simulation environment provide an excellent testing ground for hypotheses regarding relief agency partnerships, goals, roles, and prior involvement, by providing a depiction of the change in agency partnerships and resource investments following a disaster. The goal of this research is to expand the current body of knowledge and examine the fundamental principles of agency success during relief operations. We find that (a) larger relief networks tended to be less efficient at meeting the typical needs of the community, (b) having a relief network with more agents appeared to increase the time it took for a typical need, (c) having a high percentage of local agents resulted in an increased time for typical services, (d) a more dense network resulted in more effective identification of long-term needs and also improved services time, etc. Results from this work provide a path for improving our understanding of interagency partnerships and interaction, and could provide new insights into the behavior of agency networks in response to a disaster.
Health-promoting behavior is positively associated with diabetic control among type 2 diabetes patients *

Background: The increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) poses a major public health challenge throughout the world. It is a major healthcare issue among the elderly. This study was to identify the association between the health promoting behaviors and the diabetic control of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Methods: Cross sectional and descriptive research designs were used in this study. Participants were enrolled from three medical centers in northern, central and southern Taiwan during August, 2010 and June, 2011. The instruments encompassed biochemical indicators, and the preliminary developed scale of diabetes mellitus and health promotion (DMHP). Results: A total of 323 participants with T2DM were included in this study. The results showed 1) a high percentage of the participants used cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking and betel nut chewing, which were not conducive to adopting health promoting behaviors; 2) a high percentage of patients showed abnormal blood glucose, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood pressure; 3) few of the participants practiced ideally health promoting behaviors; and 4) practicing health-promoting behavior was positively associated with fasting blood glucose (FBG) and HbA1c levels. Conclusions: Patients with higher health promotion scores had better diabetic control. Less physical activity was found among those addicted to cigarette, alcohol and betel nut consumption. The findings suggest that health care providers should assess health promoting behaviors first for each diabetic patient.
Toward a Sustainable Sense of Self in Teaching and Teacher Education: Sustainable Happiness and Well-Being Through Mindfulness

This paper examines the effects of mindfulness practice through pranayama, hatha yoga, and meditation on practicing teachers in an inner city school to determine if practices of this nature could contribute to sustainable sense of self, sustainable happiness, and well-being for practicing teachers and pre-service teachers. Furthermore, mindfulness practice is discussed in the context of new pedagogies that are contributing to the transformation of teachers, students, and education. This inquiry has demonstrated that this process not only offers the practitioner serenity, awareness, peace, and well-being: but the benefits of the practice move far beyond the personal environment of those practicing teachers and into the classroom and school community providing opportunities for transformation; growing sustainable happiness and well-being.
Memory training impacts short‐term changes in aging white matter: A Longitudinal Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

A growing body of research indicates benefits of cognitive training in older adults, but the neuronal mechanisms underlying the effect of cognitive intervention remains largely unexplored. Neuroimaging methods are sensitive to subtle changes in brain structure and show potential for enhancing our understanding of both aging‐ and training‐related neuronal plasticity. Specifically, studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) suggest substantial changes in white matter (WM) in aging, but it is not known whether cognitive training might modulate these structural alterations. We used tract‐based spatial statistics (TBSS) optimized for longitudinal analysis to delineate the effects of 8 weeks intensive memory training on WM microstructure. 41 participants (mean age 61 years) matched for age, sex and education were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. All participants underwent MRI‐scanning and neuropsychological assessments at the beginning and end of the study. Longitudinal analysis across groups revealed significant increase in frontal mean diffusivity (MD), indicating that DTI is sensitive to WM structural alterations over a 10‐week interval. Further, group analysis demonstrated positive effects of training on the short‐term changes. Participants in the training group showed a relative increase in fractional anisotropy (FA) compared with controls. Further, a significant relationship between memory improvement and change in FA was found, suggesting a possible functional significance of the reported changes. The training effect on FA seemed to be driven by a relative decrease in radial diffusivity, which might indicate a role for myelin‐related processes in WM plasticity. Hum Brain Mapp 33:2390–2406, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Soft Dependency Matching for Hierarchical Phrase-based Machine Translation

This paper proposes a soft dependency matching model for hierarchical phrase-based (HPB) machine translation. When a HPB rule is extracted, we enrich it with dependency knowledge automatically learnt from the training data. The dependency knowledge not only encodes the dependency relations between the components inside the rule, but also contains the dependency relations between the rule and its context. When a rule is applied to translate a sentence, the dependency knowledge is used to compute the syntactic structural consistency of the rule against the dependency tree of the sentence. We characterize the structure consistency by three features and integrate them into the standard SMT log-linear model to guide the translation process. Our method is evaluated on multiple Chinese-to-English machine translation test sets. The experimental results show that our soft matching model achieves 0.7-1.4 BLEU points improvements over a strong baseline of an in-house implemented HPB translation system.
Factor H Binding to PspC of S treptococcus pneumoniae Increases Adherence to Human 1 Cells Lines In Vitro and Enhances Invasion of Mouse Lungs In Vivo. 2 Running title: Complement FH enhances pneumococcal adherence. 3 4

Factor H Binding to PspC of Streptococcus pneumoniae Increases Adherence to Human 1 Cells Lines In Vitro and Enhances Invasion of Mouse Lungs In Vivo. 2 Running title: Complement FH enhances pneumococcal adherence. 3 4 Lisa R. Quin 1 , Chinwendu Onwubiko 1 , Quincy C. Moore 1 , Megumi Fujioka Mills 1 , Larry S. 5 McDaniel 123* , and Stephanie Carmicle 1† 6 Departments of Microbiology 1 , Surgery 2 , and Medicine 3 , The University of Mississippi 7 Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216. 8 *Corresponding author: 9 Larry S. McDaniel 10 Department of Microbiology 11 University of Mississippi Medical Center 12 2500 North State Street 13 Jackson, MS 39216 14 Phone: 601-984-6880 15 Fax: 601-984-1708 16 E-mail: LMcDaniel@microbio.umsmed. edu 17 18
KESANTUNAN TINDAK TUTUR DIREKTIF DALAM TALK SHOW SATU JAM LEBIH DEKAT DI TV ONE (TINJAUAN PRAGMATIK)

The aim of this research are to explain the politeness of directive speech acts and politeness strategy, which supports the effectiveness of the talk show. This research is a descriptive qualitative research. The data resources are spoken data from three episodes of Satu Jam Lebih Dekat Talk Show on TV One. The technique of data sampling is determined by purposive sampling. The data validation technic in this research is triangulation technic. The result of the research shows that the types of directive speech acts in Satu Jam Lebih Dekat are to please, to request, to ask, to order, to invite, and to forbid. The politeness strategies of Satu Jam Lebih Dekat are bald on record, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off record. The politeness of directive speech acts supports the effectiveness of the talk show because of some factors, such as types of directive speech act and politeness strategy.
Combinatorial Auctions with Structured Item Graphs

Combinatorial auctions (CAs) are important mechanisms for allocating interrelated items. Unfortunately, winner determination is NP-complete unless there is special structure. We study the setting where there is a graph (with some desired property), with the items as vertices, and every bid bids on a connected set of items. Two computational problems arise: 1) clearing the auction when given the item graph, and 2) constructing an item graph (if one exists) with the desired property. 1 was previously solved for the case of a tree or a cycle, and 2 for the case of a line graph or a cycle. We generalize the first result by showing that given an item graph with bounded treewidth, the clearing problem can be solved in polynomial time (and every CA instance has some treewidth; the complexity is exponential in only that parameter). We then give an algorithm for constructing an item tree (treewidth 1) if such a tree exists, thus closing a recognized open problem. We show why this algorithm does not work for treewidth greater than 1, but leave open whether item graphs of (say) treewidth 2 can be constructed in polynomial time. We show that finding the item graph with the fewest edges is NP-complete (even when a graph of treewidth 2 exists). Finally, we study how the results change if a bid is allowed to have more than one connected component. Even for line graphs, we show that clearing is hard even with 2 components, and constructing the line graph is hard even with 5.