Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistical analysis of WDM photonic microwave filters with random errors

Several photonic microwave filters based on a set of optical carriers of different wavelength and a dispersive medium have been proposed to benefit from their flexibility and a variety of commercial wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) devices. However, practical implementations of such filters suffer random errors in the optical power and the wavelength of the optical sources. In this paper, the statistical analysis of the performance of photonic microwave filters based on multiple optical carriers (i.e., WDM) and a dispersive medium with random errors in amplitude and wavelength spacing between optical carriers is presented, showing that these errors translate in a residual sidelobe level dependent on the statistics of the random errors. An expression of the residual sidelobe level is derived. Finally, experimental results showing a good agreement with theory are provided.
Foundation degrees: a risky business?

Purpose – Foundation degrees, the new proposal for sub‐degree vocational education in the UK, are characterised by innovation both in their design (curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment) and in the marketplace for which they are designed. This article argues that the development and delivery of foundation degrees carry a high level of risk, and encourages reflection on the nature and impact of those risks.Design/methodology/approach – The article discusses the sources of the risks associated with the development of foundation degrees, as a platform for the development of strategies for the management of risk, and positive quality management. The discussion is developed under the following headings: working in partnership, validation processes, curriculum and learning issues, marketplace and admission issues, staffing and organisational issues, and the student experience.Findings – There are a number of sources of support and advice to assist in mitigation of the risks, but ultimately the responsib.
The Post Affluent Society

Discomfort about the overarching goal of capitalist economies, and the idea that achieving ever higher levels of consumption of products and services is a vacuous goal, has been with us since the onset of industrialization. This contribution looks at the phenomenon and foundations of voluntary simplicity. Its psychological implications and consequences for societies are discussed.
Marketing and communication technology: Paradoxes and dialogics

In the prevailing discourse of marketing management, communication technology is largely seen as a tool to accomplish specific ends, a tool that facilitates real dialogues between organizations and their different audiences and helps organizations become more open, flexible and responsive vis-a-vis external demands. In contrasts to this view, this paper illustrates the complex nature of communication technology in the process of reorganizing organizations to meet new market conditions, arguing more specifically that dialogues with external constituencies may be regarded as auto-communicative, that interactivity between the organization and its surroundings takes place within a communication space delineated from above', that organizational responsiveness is largely pre-specified, and that organizational openness, as a consequance, co-exists with tendencies to closure. Without rejecting rational interpretations all together, the paper points at alternative rationalities and suggests a research agenda that takes into consideration the paradoxes and dialogics associated with the use of new technologies, like the internet, in the marketing communication process.
Online communities as communities of practice: a case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate to which extent the concept of communities of practice (CoPs) can be applied to online communities and to explore how organizations can better utilize online social structures for their knowledge management practice.Design/methodology/approach – A case study was used to examine an online community with the practice‐and‐identity framework that characterizes conventional CoPs. Qualitative data analysis was conducted primarily on 7,853 messages downloaded from the online community during a six week period.Findings – The results showed how an online community could manifest the practice and identity characteristics of conventional CoPs as community members actively engaged in their shared practice and identity development while pursuing a joint enterprise. Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted in a single Chinese online community on traveling, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.Practical implications – This study sug.
Feedforward control of data rate in wireless networks

This paper develops a feedforward approach to data rate control in wireless networks. The development is based on designing an optimal, but non-causal, controller and its subsequent "causification", which results in a practical, implementable controller, driven by an estimate of the bit error probability. It is shown that this controller leads to a minimum of 5%-85% increase in average throughput without additional power utilization, as compared with fixed data rate operation.
Acute Liver Failure with Renal Impairment Related to the Abuse of Senna Anthraquinone Glycosides

OBJECTIVE To report a case of chronic ingestion of very large amounts of senna fruits as an herbal tea, possibly leading to severe hepatotoxicity. CASE SUMMARY A 52-year-old woman who had ingested, for >3 years, one liter of an herbal tea each day made from a bag containing 70 g of dry senna fruits, developed acute hepatic failure and renal impairment requiring intensive care therapy. The severity of the hepatic failure was reflected by the increase in prothrombin time (international normalized ratio >7) and the development of encephalopathy. Liver transplantation was discussed, but the patient ultimately recovered with supportive therapy. Renal impairment was consistent with proximal tubular acidosis, also with marked polyuria refractory to vasopressin administration. Suprisingly, large amounts of cadmium were transiently recovered in the urine. DISCUSSION Cassia acutifolia and angustifolia plants are widely used as laxatives. Their chronic abuse may be associated with serious manifestations, including fluid and electrolyte loss, with chronic diarrhea. Severe hepatotoxicity is unusual, but could be explained by the exposure of the liver to unusual amounts of toxic metabolites of anthraquinone glycosides (sennosides). An objective causality assessment suggests that hepatotoxicity was possibly related to senna laxative abuse. Regarding nephrotoxicity, there are no available human data on sennosides, while experimental models suggest that anthraquinone derivatives may also accumulate in the kidneys. The finding of high urinary concentrations of cadmium would suggest contamination of the herbal tea by metals, but this hypothesis could not be verified. CONCLUSIONS Ingestion of large doses of senna laxatives may expose people to the risk of hepatotoxicity.
Causes of Enucleation: A Clinicopathological Study

Background. Enucleation is an approach used for unresponsive end-stage ocular disease often resulting in blind, painful or cosmetically unacceptable eyes. Methods. We reviewed the clinicopathological data on 3506 enucleations performed over a 50-year period, 1945-1995. Histopathological data were divided into eight groups according to the causes leading to enucleation: trauma, phthisis, corneal disease, inflammation, vitreoretinal disease, glaucoma, tumors and infections. Results. The study considered 3506 enucleated eyes of 3482 patients, 2467 (70.8%) males and 1011 (29.1%) females (4 sex unspecified). The z-test showed there were significantly more enucleations in males for phthisis (p<5.05), infections (p<0.01), trauma (p<0.01) and inflammation (p<0.01) and more enucleations for tumors in females (p<0.01). There were no differences between males and females with regard to enucleations for glaucoma, vitreoretinal and corneal diseases (p>0.05). The 0–9 years age group was most frequently affected, accounting for 29.7% of the cases. Patients aged less than 30 years constituted 53.6% of all enucleations. The primary or underlying causes leading to enucleation were tumors (1185 eyes, 33.8%), phthisis (587 eyes, 16.7), glaucoma (561 eyes, 16.0%), vitreoretinal diseases (320 eyes, 9.1%), infections (259 eyes, 7.4%), corneal disease (229 eyes, 6.5%), trauma (209 eyes, 6.0%) and inflammation (156 eyes, 4.4%). Time trends in enucleating eyes with different causes showed the number of enucleations for phthisis, infections, corneal diseases, trauma and inflammations had dropped during the ten-year period 1986–1995 compared to 1976–1985 (z-test, p<0.01). There were no real changes in enucleations for glaucoma and vitreoretinal diseases and there was an increase in the number of enucleations for tumors (p<0.01). Conclusions. Improved diagnostic and therapeutic methods, widespread use of photocoagulation in vascular disorders and vitreoretinal surgery in traumas, effective antimicrobial treatment, increasing use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, have contributed to the decreasing frequency of enucleation. Tumor patients generally presented late with advanced tumors totally filling the eye, not salvageable by other non-invasive treatment methods. Prompt diagnosis of intraocular malignant tumors (retinoblastoma and malignant melanoma) may reduce the need for enucleation.
Academic optimism and student achievement in urban elementary schools

Purpose – The aim of this study was two‐fold: to demonstrate a general construct of schools called academic optimism and to show it was related to student achievement in urban elementary schools, even controlling for socioeconomic factors, and school size.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 99 urban elementary schools in Texas and multiple regression and factor analyses were used to test a series of hypotheses guiding the inquiry.Findings – The major hypotheses of the study were supported; academic optimism was a second‐order construct comprised of collective efficacy, faculty trust, and academic optimism. Moreover, academic optimism is a school characteristic that predicts student achievement even controlling for socioeconomic status.Practical implications – The results support Bandura's social cognitive theory, Coleman's social capital theory, Hoy and Tarter's work on organizational climate, and demonstrate the existence of a cultural property of schools called academic optimism. Furt.
Network Graph Analysis of Category Fluency Testing

BackgroundCategory fluency is impaired early in Alzheimer disease (AD). Graph theory is a technique to analyze complex relationships in networks. Features of interest in network analysis include the number of nodes and edges, and variables related to their interconnectedness. Other properties important in network analysis are “small world properties” and “scale-free” properties. The small world property (popularized as the so-called “6 degrees of separation”) arises when the majority of connections are local, but a number of connections are to distant nodes. Scale-free networks are characterized by the presence of a few nodes with many connections, and many more nodes with fewer connections. ObjectiveTo determine if category fluency data can be analyzed using graph theory. To compare normal elderly, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD network graphs, and characterize changes seen with increasing cognitive impairment. MethodsCategory fluency results (“animals” recorded over 60 s) from normals (n=38), MCI (n=33), and AD (n=40) completing uniform data set evaluations were converted to network graphs of all unique cooccurring neighbors, and compared for network variables. ResultsFor Normal, MCI and AD, mean clustering coefficients were 0.21, 0.22, 0.30; characteristic path lengths were 3.27, 3.17, and 2.65; small world properties decreased with increasing cognitive impairment, and all graphs showed scale-free properties. Rank correlations of the 25 commonest items ranged from 0.75 to 0.83. Filtering of low-degree nodes in normal and MCI graphs resulted in properties similar to the AD network graph. ConclusionsNetwork graph analysis is a promising technique for analyzing changes in category fluency. Our technique results in nonrandom graphs consistent with well-characterized properties for these types of graphs.
Training and knowledge of professionals of the health family team on reporting mistreatment of children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE To analyze training and knowledge of professionals in the Family Health Team on reporting the mistreatment of children and adolescents. METHODS Cross-sectional study carried out in three municipalities of Ceará State, Northeast Brazil, from January to April 2012. The research included 51 professionals: physicians (9), nurses (26), and dentists (16) who worked in the Family Health Strategy. A questionnaire was used for data collection, which received descriptive statistical analysis with the Pearson's chi-square test, being significant p≤0.05. RESULTS There was a predominance of professionals who had not participated in violence against children and adolescents training (86.3%); who knew the Child and Adolescent Statute (90.2%), and how to notify mistreatment (62.7%). Most interviewees said that the health unit had the form (70.5%), and they knew where to refer victims to (82.3%). Most professionals did not have any contact with mistreatment situations (62.8%). Only 37.2% had already identified some case and, among them, 60.0% reported the occurrences. There was a significant association (p=0.035) between the act of notifying and the participation in a training on the subject. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that the participants have difficulties in the reporting mistreatment of children and adolescents, and there are gaps in knowledge and weaknesses in training in this area.
Personality Has Minor Effects on Panel Attrition

In light of the recent interest in using longitudinal panel data to study personality development, it is important to know if personality traits are related to panel attrition. We analyse the effects of personality on panel drop-out separately for an ‘older’ subsample (started in 1984), a relatively ‘young’ subsample (started in 2000), and a ‘new’ subsample (started in 2009) of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study. We found that openness slightly decreases the probability of panel drop-out in all three samples. For the ‘older’ subsample only, we found a small negative effect of agreeableness on panel drop-out. We control for age, sex, education, migration background, and the number of inhabitants in the region of the respondents.
Accounting for – and owning up to – the messiness in cross-cultural/linguistic qualitative research: toward methodological reflexivity in South America’s Internet cafés

The author, a polyglot and world traveler, who lives and breathes multiculturality, examines her own contextual and methodological reflexivity while conducting fieldwork to explore youth’s public Internet use (in Internet Cafés) in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. Although the process of conducting (qualitative) research is known to be non-linear, messy, complex, and unpredictable, many published research articles still convey data collection, analysis, and even findings in an orderly and uncomplicated fashion. In this paper, the author joins other scholars to call for greater transparency about the “messiness” of the process, and the meaning-making across linguistic/cultural/social borders, and argues that there should be more acceptance toward the ambiguities inherent in our research “findings. ” Drawing from the work of hermeneutic philosopher, Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900–2002), the author claims that “fusion of (hermeneutic) horizons” in cross-linguistic/cultural research requires that researchers maintain an active, critical presence in the field and beyond, as well as continuous attention to contextual and methodological flexibility and reflexivity. Finally, the author offers some practical suggestions on conducting fieldwork to researchers planning to conduct cross-cultural/linguistic qualitative inquiry.
Scaling of xylem vessels and veins within the leaves of oak species

General models of plant vascular architecture, based on scaling of pipe diameters to remove the length dependence of hydraulic resistance within the xylem, have attracted strong interest. However, these models have neglected to consider the leaf, an important hydraulic component; they assume all leaves to have similar hydraulic properties, including similar pipe diameters in the petiole. We examine the scaling of the leaf xylem in 10 temperate oak species, an important hydraulic component. The mean hydraulic diameter of petiole xylem vessels varied by 30% among the 10 oak species. Conduit diameters narrowed from the petiole to the midrib to the secondary veins, consistent with resistance minimization, but the power function scaling exponent differed from that predicted for stems. Leaf size was an organizing trait within and across species. These findings indicate that leaf vasculature needs to be included in whole-plant scaling models, for these to accurately reflect and predict whole-plant transport and its implications for performance and ecology.
Land as fictitious commodity: the continuing evolution of women's land rights in Uganda

In sub-Saharan Africa, colonial influences have altered traditional practices as a way to manage that which Polanyi labeled as ‘fictitious commodities’ of land, labor, and money. Land has now become a highly marketable commodity and an intrinsic part of the global economy. Over the past century, Uganda's land rights have evolved from communal rights to that of male-dominated, individual ownership practices that have excluded women. Despite constitutional provisions, which confer title of both a deceased husband's property rights and equal rights to property within a marriage to a wife, postcolonial patriarchal tradition prevails. This article examines historical changes in land rights in Uganda and discusses the impact of shifts in land rights from communal ownership to individual tenure, altering power structures and attempting to create marketable land title. The Ugandan women's movement's opposition to policies and implementation of laws that exclude women has been unable to facilitate the required changes in unbiased access to land rights, despite apparent victories in revisions to the letter of the law. Situated within contemporary interpretations of tradition and pressures of market demand, this article shows that women's access to landownership and use are restricted by misinterpretation of traditional law and a lack of enforcement of contemporary legal rights. To illustrate the impact of a lack of access to land, this article examines an empirical case study of widowed subsistence farmers in southern Uganda. Women in Uganda continue to lose ground, quite literally, decreasing the possibility of gender equity in terms of land.
Functional anatomy of human procedural learning determined with regional cerebral blood flow and PET

The functional anatomy of motor skill acquisition was investigated in six normal human subjects who learned to perform a pursuit rotor task with their dominant right hand during serial positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of relative cerebral blood flow (relCBF). The effect of motor execution, rather than learning, was identified by a comparison of four motor performance scans with two control scans (eye movements only). Motor execution was associated with activation of a distributed network involving cortical, striatonigral, and cerebellar sites. Second, the effect of early motor learning was examined. Performance improved from 17% to 66% mean time on target across the four PET scans obtained during pursuit rotor performance. Across the same scans, significant longitudinal increases of relCBF were located in the left primary motor cortex, the left supplementary motor area, and the left pulvinar thalamus. The results demonstrate that changes of regional cerebral activity associated with early learning of skilled movements occur in sites that are a subset of a more widely distributed network that is active during motor execution.
AIDS Knowledge among Latinos: Findings from a Community and Agricultural Labor Camp Survey

The authors assessed knowledge about AIDS and its modes of transmission in Latino adults from northern California via a survey administered in 2000 to 461 women and 356 men from a community sample and 188 men from a labor camp sample. The majority of respondents viewed AIDS as a serious problem in their community. Knowledge about how AIDS is transmitted varied from accurate beliefs about the virus being transmitted by biomedical modes to inaccurate beliefs about its transmittal through casual contact. A multiple regression analysis identified three groups with the highest misconceptions about AIDS transmission: Latinos with low educational attainment, particularly men from labor camps; Latinos who were the oldest in the sample (40 to 64 years of age); and Latinos with low educational attainment who had not visited a doctor recently. These findings identify groups with high misconceptions about AIDS who will benefit from special outreach and education.
The Impact of Duplicate Orders on Demand Estimation and Capacity Investment

Motivated by a $2.2 billion inventory write-off by Cisco Systems, we investigate how duplicate orders can lead a manufacturer to err in estimating the demand rate and customers' sensitivity to delay, and to make faulty decisions about capacity investment. We consider a manufacturer that sells through two distributors. If a customer finds that his distributor is out-of-stock, then he will sometimes seek to make a purchase from the other distributor; if the latter is also out-of-stock, the customer will order from both distributors. When his order is filled by one of the distributors, the customer cancels any duplicate orders. Furthermore, the customer cancels all of his outstanding orders after a random period of time. Assuming that the manufacturer is unaware of duplicate orders, we prove that she will overestimate both the demand rate and the cancellation rate. Surprisingly, failure to account for duplicate orders can cause short-term underinvestment in capacity. However, in long term equilibrium under stable demand conditions the manufacturer overinvests in capacity. Our results suggest that Cisco's write-off was caused by estimation errors and cannot be blamed entirely on the economic downturn. Finally, we provide some guidance on estimation in the presence of double orders. The majority of the results in our paper apply to the base case where the manufacturer dedicates a fixed fraction of her capacity to each distributor. This Appendix shows that the results remain true when the manufacturer fills distributors' orders FIFO from pooled capacity.