Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The universal Euler characteristic for varieties of characteristic zero

Using the weak factorization theorem, we give a simple presentation for the value group of the universal Euler characteristic with compact support for varieties of characteristic zero and describe the value group of the universal Euler characteristic of pairs. This gives a new proof for the existence of natural Euler characteristics with values in the Grothendieck group of Chow motives. A generalization of the presentation to the relative setting allows us to define duality and the six operations.
Effect of Dieckol, a Component of Ecklonia cava, on the Promotion of Hair Growth

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Ecklonia cava, a marine alga native to Jeju Island in Korea, on the promotion of hair growth. When vibrissa follicles were cultured in the presence of E. cava enzymatic extract (which contains more than 35% of dieckol) for 21 days, E. cava enzymatic extract increased hair-fiber length. In addition, after topical application of the 0.5% E. cava enzymatic extract onto the back of C57BL/6 mice, anagen progression of the hair-shaft was induced. The treatment with E. cava enzymatic extract resulted in the proliferation of immortalized vibrissa dermal papilla cells (DPC). Especially, dieckol, among the isolated compounds from the E. cava enzymatic extract, showed activity that increased the proliferation of DPC. When NIH3T3 fibroblasts were treated with the E. cava enzymatic extract and the isolated compounds from the E. cava enzymatic extract, the E. cava enzymatic extract increased the proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts, but the isolated compounds such as eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A did not affect the proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts. On the other hand, the E. cava enzymatic extract and dieckol significantly inhibited 5α-reductase activity. These results suggest that dieckol from E. cava can stimulate hair growth by the proliferation of DPC and/or the inhibition of 5α-reductase activity.
Transfer Learning for Low-Resource Neural Machine Translation

The encoder-decoder framework for neural machine translation (NMT) has been shown effective in large data scenarios, but is much less effective for low-resource languages. We present a transfer learning method that significantly improves Bleu scores across a range of low-resource languages. Our key idea is to first train a high-resource language pair (the parent model), then transfer some of the learned parameters to the low-resource pair (the child model) to initialize and constrain training. Using our transfer learning method we improve baseline NMT models by an average of 5.6 Bleu on four low-resource language pairs. Ensembling and unknown word replacement add another 2 Bleu which brings the NMT performance on low-resource machine translation close to a strong syntax based machine translation (SBMT) system, exceeding its performance on one language pair. Additionally, using the transfer learning model for re-scoring, we can improve the SBMT system by an average of 1.3 Bleu, improving the state-of-the-art on low-resource machine translation.
Substance Abuse among Young Female Sex Workers in Tehran Metropolitan

Both drug use and sex work considered as serious health and social problems. This study aimed to find the relation between them in young Iranian women. A mixed method of data collection applied from 300 young female sex workers in Tehran and 39 in-depth interviews with key informants. Result show that 84.4 % of participants used drugs before sex work. 46.2% of their fathers and 56.6% of their husbands used drug. 13.6% of these women mothers were sex workers. Evidences stated that priority of drug addiction to sex work cannot be generally determined. This study finding indicated that young women use drugs mostly before sex work; but substance abuse after starting sex work was to reduce the mental and physical sufferings to facilitate working through raising sexual potency and to sink in ecstasy and ignorance meanwhile in most cases to be able to obtain drugs.
Plasma insulin profiles after subcutaneous injection: how close can we get to physiology in people with diabetes?

Many people with diabetes rely on insulin therapy to achieve optimal blood glucose control. A fundamental aim of such therapy is to mimic the pattern of ‘normal’ physiological insulin secretion, thereby controlling basal and meal‐time plasma glucose and fatty acid turnover. In people without diabetes, insulin release is modulated on a time base of 3–10 min, something that is impossible to replicate without intravascular glucose sensing and insulin delivery. Overnight physiological insulin delivery by islet β cells is unchanging, in contrast to requirements once any degree of hyperglycaemia occurs, when diurnal influences are evident. Subcutaneous pumped insulin or injected insulin analogues can approach the physiological profile, but there remains the challenge of responding to day‐to‐day changes in insulin sensitivity. Physiologically, meal‐time insulin release begins rapidly in response to reflex activity and incretins, continuing with the rise in glucose and amino acid concentrations. This rapid response reflects the need to fill the insulin space with maximum concentration as early as 30 min after starting the meal. Current meal‐time insulins, by contrast, are associated with a delay after injection before absorption begins, and a delay to peak because of tissue diffusion. While decay from peak for monomeric analogues is not dissimilar to average physiological needs, changes in meal type and, again, in day‐to‐day insulin sensitivity, are difficult to match. Recent and current developments in insulin depot technology are moving towards establishing flatter basal and closer‐to‐average physiological meal‐time plasma insulin profiles. The present article discusses the ideal physiological insulin profile, how this can be met by available and future insulin therapies and devices, and the challenges faced by healthcare professionals and people with diabetes in trying to achieve an optimum plasma insulin profile.
Addressing the mental health needs of African Americans: Perceptions of Black social workers

ADDRESSING THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS: PERCEPTIONS OF BLACK SOCIAL WORKERS By Dorian M. Stith May 2009 The purpose of this study was to interview Black social workers, as key informants, on current attitudes towards mental health treatment by the African American community. The respondents consisted of 12 professionally trained African American social workers, between the ages of 26 and 66 years, who currently work or worked in mental health. The researcher developed the qualitative interview guide used in this study. Half of the respondents reported that lack of trust in any formal institution was the main reason that African Americans did not access mental health services. Overall, matching an African American client with an African American clinician was viewed as positively impacting the therapeutic relationship. Shame was viewed as the main stigma or impediment that prevents African Americans from accessing mental health treatment. These findings suggest that there continues to be negativity within the Black community about formal mental health services and mental health diagnoses. More research is needed on this topic. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank God for giving me the strength to complete this great accomplishment in my life. I would also like to thank my parents for their unconditional love and support that they have given me; I love you with all of my heart. Another huge thank you goes to my entire family and friends for showing me so much love and support throughout these years. Last but certainly not least, I am extremely thankful to my thesis advisor, Dr. Ranney, because without your guidance, encouragement, and support, I would not have been able to complete this, thank you.
An Analytical Study of Optical Burst Switching Aggregation Strategies

Optical Burst Switching (OBS) is considered as a promising switching technique for the next generation of optical networks. A solid understanding of the characteristics of OBS traffic is the prerequisite to efficiently address a series of problems such as network dimensioning, performance optimization, routing and load balancing. In this paper we address this issue presenting the first exact and complete analytical model of OBS traffic with Poissonian IP input traffic. We demonstrate that with the standard aggregation strategies this traffic is not Poisson. In addition we present a new aggregation strategy that definitely generates poisson traffic, which enables the use of all published results which had assumed poisson traffic. Our analytical model includes the exact distributions of the burst interarrival time, burst size, burst formation time and number of IP packets per burst, together with tractable expressions for their mean and variance.
Future Directions for Monitoring Treatment Responses in Breast Cancer

In the prior review, we outlined the current standard of care for monitoring treatment responses in breast cancer and discussed the many challenges associated with these strategies. We described the challenges faced in common clinical settings such as the adjuvant setting, neoadjuvant setting, and the metastatic setting. In this review, we will expand upon future directions meant to overcome several of these current challenges. We will also explore several new and promising methods under investigation to enhance how we monitor treatment responses in breast cancer. Furthermore, we will highlight several new technologies and techniques for monitoring breast cancer treatment in the adjuvant, neoadjuvant and metastatic setting.
Bundling the Web: HTTP over DTN

Mobile users traveling by car, bus, or train usually experience varying connectivity characteristics while they are on their way, including unpredictable (loss of) network access, changes in a data rate, and the like. In short, they operate in a challenged networking environment that is not well suited for many Internet applications. While different approaches have been developed to specifically mitigate (short-term) disconnections while at least partly preserving the end-to-end notion of such applications, Delay-tolerant Networking (DTN) takes a different approach by relying exclusively on asynchronous communications. While this fits well with the mobile user connectivity, particularly interactive applications (such as web access) are affected by the lack of synchronous endto-end interaction. In this paper, we present protocol mechanisms for running HTTP-over-DTN as well as a system architecture for incremental deployment, and we report on findings from measurements performed with our prototype implementation.
Using variable speed limits to reduce rear-end collision risks near recurrent bottlenecks

Rear-end collisions would occur if vehicle speeds decrease abruptly when encountering kinematic waves (KWs) emanating from active bottlenecks. This study aims to develop a control strategy in variable speed limits (VSL) to reduce rear-end collision risks near recurrent bottlenecks. Using the crash prediction model developed for rear-end collisions related to risky KWs, the effectiveness of VSL control strategies were evaluated in the cell transmission model (CTM). Several strategies were tested in sequence to determine the best case for risk reduction. Results of this study show that the collision risk can be effectively reduced if the speed limit is lowered in an opportune occasion. The VSL needs to response quickly to the fast changing traffic condition while should simultaneously avoid the potential disturbance to the traffic. According to the simulation results, the following recommendations are made when implementing the VSL to improve safety situation near recurrent bottlenecks: moderate threshold of collision likelihood to active VSL, moderate design speed limit in VSL, fast speed change over time, and small speed difference between consecutive VSLs.
Turn-taking and the local management of conversation in a highly simultaneous computer-mediated communication system

Ongoing inquiry in communication technology research includes the questions of whether and how users adapt communication to the relatively restricted codes provided by text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC). This study proposes that adaptations may be affected by the level of simultaneity in messaging that CMC systems afford users. This suggestion is examined through an analysis of the particular conversational management strategies afforded by a fully synchronous computer-mediated communication system in which message transmission is keystroke-by-keystroke. Conversation analyses performed on the transcript of a three-person online conversation suggest several conclusions: Despite the novelty of the system, the CMC users appropriated and adapted many techniques from face-to-face conversations for the local management of conversations, including turn taking, turn allocation, and explicit interruption management. At the time, turn exchange was accomplished by the use of overlapping intermittent talk followed by lengthy strategic pauses, rather than according to the “no gap, no overlap” ideal of spoken conversation. Overall, the computer-mediated exchanges appeared resilient to modality change, and users spontaneously and creatively employed both traditional and technical features of conversation management.
MapReduce Design of K-Means Clustering Algorithm

Cluster is a collection of data members having similar characteristics. The process of establishing a relation or deriving information from raw data by performing some operations on the data set like clustering is known as data mining. Data collected in practical scenarios is more often than not completely random and unstructured. Hence, there is always a need for analysis of unstructured data sets to derive meaningful information. This is where unsupervised algorithms come in to picture to process unstructured or even semi structured data sets by resultant. K-Means Clustering is one such technique used to provide a structure to unstructured data so that valuable information can be extracted. This paper discusses the implementation of the K-Means Clustering Algorithm over a distributed environment using ApacheTM Hadoop. The key to the implementation of the K-Means Algorithm is the design of the Mapper and Reducer routines which has been discussed in the later part of the paper. The steps involved in the execution of the K-Means Algorithm has also been described in this paper based on a small scale implementation of the K-Means Clustering Algorithm on an experimental setup to serve as a guide for practical implementations.
MODELING GENERALIZED COST OF TRAVEL FOR RURAL BUS USERS: A CASE STUDY

In order to formulate rational improvement proposals for rural bus services, it is necessary to understand how people value different attributes of travel. In this article, the disutilities of travel have been modeled based on stated choice data collected from trip makers traveling along a rural bus route in Midnapur District, West Bengal, India. Multinomal Logit Model is used to develop utility equations and the total disutility of travel is estimated in the form of generalized cost. The perceived values associated with in-vehicle travel time, service headway, and comfort level for the study route are estimated and found to be significant.
Infrared Emission from Interstellar Dust. IV. The Silicate-Graphite-PAH Model in the Post-Spitzer Era

IR emission spectra are calculated for dust heated by starlight, for mixtures of amorphous silicate and graphitic grains, including varying amounts of PAH particles. The models are constrained to reproduce the average Milky Way extinction curve. The calculations include the effects of single-photon heating. Updated IR absorption properties for the PAHs are presented that are consistent with observed emission spectra, including those newly obtained by Spitzer. We find a size distribution for the PAHs giving emission band ratios consistent with the observed spectra of the Milky Way and other galaxies. Emission spectra are presented for a wide range of starlight intensities. We calculate how the efficiency of emission into different IR bands depends on PAH size; the strong 7.7 μm emission feature is produced mainly by PAH particles containing <103 C atoms. We also calculate how the emission spectrum depends on U, the starlight intensity relative to the local interstellar radiation field. The submillimeter and far-infrared emission is compared to the observed emission from the local interstellar medium. Using a simple distribution function, we calculate the emission spectrum for dust heated by a distribution of starlight intensities, such as occurs within galaxies. The models are parameterized by the PAH mass fraction qPAH, the lower cutoff Umin of the starlight intensity distribution, and the fraction γ of the dust heated by starlight with U > Umin. We present graphical procedures using Spitzer IRAC and MIPS photometry to estimate the parameters qPAH, Umin, and γ, the fraction fPDR of the dust luminosity coming from photodissociation regions with U > 100, and the total dust mass Mdust.
Something old, something new... understanding Conservative education policy

Conservative education policy (CEP) in Britain since the Thatcher era, much like all Conservative policy in Britain since this era, has been fraught with tensions. Looking back over 30 years conjures memories of some familiar figures and contradictions. We remember Keith Joseph and his neoliberal zeal over freedom for schools and vouchers for parents, but we also remember Kenneth Baker and his introduction of a prescriptive National Curriculum with national testing at age 7, or indeed Kenneth Clarke, his abolition of HMI and his creation of Ofsted in an unprecedented shift in relations between government and the educational establishment. We remember William Hague disassociating his Party from past perspectives, arguing that ‘there is such a thing as society’. However, we also remember Gillian Shephard telling us that policy on education should not concern itself with ‘class-envy dogma’ because such is the enemy of ‘excellence’.
Cholesterol Oxidase from Brevibacterium sterolicum

Brevibacterium sterolicum possesses two forms of cholesterol oxidase, one containing noncovalently bound FAD, the second containing a FAD covalently linked to His69of the protein backbone. The functional role of the histidyl-FAD bond in the latter cholesterol oxidase was addressed by studying the properties of the H69A mutant in which the FAD is bound tightly, but not covalently, and by comparison with native enzyme. The mutant retains catalytic activity, but with a turnover rate decreased 35-fold; the isomerization step of the intermediate 3-ketosteroid to the final product is also preserved. Stabilization of the flavin semiquinone and binding of sulfite are markedly decreased, this correlates with a lower midpoint redox potential (−204 mV compared with −101 mV for wild-type). Reconstitution with 8-chloro-FAD led to a holoenzyme form of H69A cholesterol oxidase with a midpoint redox potential of −160 mV. In this enzyme form, flavin semiquinone is newly stabilized, and a 3.5-fold activity increase is observed, this mimicking the thermodynamic effects induced by the covalent flavin linkage. It is concluded that the flavin 8α-linkage to a (N1)histidine is a pivotal factor in the modulation of the redox properties of this cholesterol oxidase to increase its oxidative power.
Metabolism of formycin B by Leishmania amastigotes in vitro. Comparative metabolism in infected and uninfected human macrophages

Formycin B is metabolized by cutaneous Leishmania amastigotes within cultured human macrophages to give formycin B 5'-monophosphate and formycin A 5'-mono-, di-, and triphosphates. Formycin A is also incorporated into RNA. The activity of formycin B against amastigotes was correlated with the levels of formycin A metabolites formed in the parasites. Uninfected macrophages also convert formycin B into the same products, but the levels are markedly lower than those seen in infected macrophages. The results suggest that a sufficient therapeutic index exists to warrant consideration of formycin B as an anti-leishmanial drug in humans.
Chaos in electronic circuits

This paper describes three extremely simple electronic circuits in which chaotic phenomena have been observed. The simplicity of the circuits allows one to i) build them easily, ii) confirm the observed phenomena by digital computer simulation, and in some cases iii) rigorously prove the circuit is indeed chaotic. A consequence of i) is that the interested reader can build, and then see and even listen to chaos. It is to be emphasized that these circuits are not analog computers. They are real physical systems.
Characteristics of distance learners: research on relationships of learning motivation, learning strategy, self‐efficacy, attribution and learning results

This research uses adapted self‐assessment questionnaires to examine the relationships between the learning motivation, learning strategies, self‐efficacy, attribution and learning results of 135 distance learners. The aim is to model the relationship between psychological characteristics and learning results of distance learners. The outcomes of this study show that a relationship exists between psychological characteristics and learning scores of distance learners. First, there is a relationship between self‐efficacy, learning strategies and learning results; second, there is a relationship between self‐efficacy, internal attribution, learning motivation and learning results. Learning motivation and learning strategies are clearly associated with positive and predictable effects on learning results. The effect values are 0.76 and 0.63, respectively. Self‐efficacy and internal attribution have indirectly positive predictable effects on learning results. The effect values are 0.48 and 0.21, respectively.
Program working storage: a beginner's model

The aim of this paper is to introduce and validate the concept of program working storage (PWS) as a) a means of smooth transition of students in introductory programming courses from the end-user stance to the programmer stance, and b) a system which can provide comprehensive understanding of certain difficult programming concepts. In this respect, the program-memory interaction is considered as a possible "threshold concept" [31, 33]. Based on constructivism [16, 23, 41, 42], the PWS is then discussed as a potential beginner's viable model, which can be, later on, refined to what Ben-Ari describes as a viable computer model [5]. The extent to which the PWS can be used as a conceptual framework, which will enable teachers and learners to focus on program-memory interaction across a variety of dimensions, and eventually relate them to form a coherent whole, is also examined. The exact implementation of the PWS in the context of the various programming languages is beyond the scope of this paper. Nevertheless, it constitutes a topic for detailed study and future research.
Object-oriented Bayesian networks for a decision support system for antitrust enforcement

We study an economic decision problem where the actors are two firms and the Antitrust Authority whose main task is to monitor and prevent firms' potential anti-competitive behaviour and its effect on the market. The Antitrust Authority's decision process is modelled using a Bayesian network where both the relational structure and the parameters of the model are estimated from a data set provided by the Authority itself. A number of economic variables that influence this decision process are also included in the model. We analyse how monitoring by the Antitrust Authority affects firms' strategies about cooperation. Firms' strategies are modelled as a repeated prisoner's dilemma using object-oriented Bayesian networks. We show how the integration of firms' decision process and external market information can be modelled in this way. Various decision scenarios and strategies are illustrated.