Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Memristive Circuits for LDPC Decoding

We present design principles for implementing decoders for low-density parity check codes in CMOL-type memristive circuits. The programmable nonvolatile connectivity enabled by the nanowire arrays in such circuits is used to map the parity check matrix of an LDPC code in the decoder, while decoding operations are realized by a cellular CMOS circuit structure. We perform detailed performance analysis and circuit simulations of example decoders, and estimate how CMOL and memristor characteristics such as the memristor OFF/ON resistance ratio, nanowire resistance, and the total capacitance of the nanowire array affect decoder specification and performance. We also analyze how variation in circuit characteristics and persistent device defects affect the decoders.
Metaphor in psychotherapeutic discourse: Implications for utterance interpretation

Abstract The difficulty we have in talking about feelings and emotions without making use of metaphorical language is often noted in discussions of metaphor within cognitive linguistics and it has led to interesting claims about how we conceptualise and think about emotions. Yet, these observations have had little impact so far on pragmatic theories of metaphor processing which typically work with more de-contextualised examples of language. This paper examines figurative expressions in two passages from attested psychotherapy exchanges where explicit use is made of metaphor for therapeutic purposes. The elaborated metaphorical utterances found in these transcripts of "emotion talk" are used to assess the explanatory adequacy of a current pragmatic theory, namely the "ad hoc concept" account of metaphor proposed within Relevance Theory. In line with Carston (2010), I argue that when interpreting these extended metaphors the literal meaning of the expressions in question is entertained and metarepresented as descriptive of an imaginative conception which represents the utterer's attempt to understand his/her emotional experience. By focusing and reflecting on this metarepresented literal meaning, the client, together with the therapist, is able to draw out implications that can provide insights into his/her own feelings, reactions and behaviour. The use of psychotherapeutic discourse to support this line of argument confirms the need for pragmatic theories of metaphor to be supported by data from a range of discourses.
18F-Choline PET/CT Pitfalls in Image Interpretation: An Update on 300 Examined Patients With Prostate Cancer

Objectives 18F-choline PET/CT is an important diagnostic tool in the management of patients with prostate cancer (PC). The aim of this study was to describe and discuss some abnormal sites of uptake that we observed, not due to PC recurrence. Patients and Methods Three hundred patients were submitted to 18F-choline PET/CT for staging or restaging of PC. Whole-body PET/CT was acquired 40 minutes after the 18F-choline administration. Results We found abnormal uptake of the tracer, not related to PC, in 48/300 patients (16%). Most of these findings were due to inflammatory processes. Furthermore, some malignant conditions, such as a case of colon cancer, a case of bladder carcinoma, and a multiple myeloma, were diagnosed. Mild uptake was also detected in some benign diseases, such as thymoma, adrenal adenoma, and sarcoidosis. Six patients showed focal brain uptake in correspondence to a meningioma. Conclusions It is necessary for nuclear physicians, during clinical practice, to consider the possibility of 18F-choline uptake in some benign or malignant conditions for the intrinsic pharmacologic property of the tracer. An accurate medical investigation, correlative imaging with CT and/or MRI with contrast agents, laboratory data, and above all, histologic examination are often necessary for correct diagnosis.
Treatment May Change Risk Prediction for Sexual Offenders

The best predictor of sexual offense recidivism is believed to be past sexual offending. However, clinical observations of treated individuals often contradict this view. Consequently, this relationship was evaluated, using a minimum follow-up period of 18 months. The samples were adult men and consisted of 127 treatment noncompleters who terminated treatment because of inadequate motivation/unacceptable behavior, legal transfer, or by request and 150 treatment completers who underwent a minimum of 6 months of 32–35 hours per week of therapy. Sexual offense conviction recidivism and prior sexual offense convictions were significantly related in noncompleters (r =.31, p < .05) but were not significantly related in completers (r = .03, p > .05). These two correlations differed significantly (two-tailed p < .05). There was no difference (p > .05) in the average number of prior sexual offense convictions between completers and noncompleters. The findings are supportive of treatment interventions, although they question the validity of prior sexual offenses in treated offenders for release decisions and/or risk prediction.
A block preconditioning cost analysis for solving saddle-point linear systems

We investigate the cost of preconditioning when solving large sparse saddlepoint linear systems with Krylov subspace methods. To use the block structure of the original matrix, we apply one of two block preconditioners. Algebraic eigenvalue analysis is given for a particular case of the preconditioners. We also give eigenvalue bounds for the preconditioned matrix when the preconditioner is block diagonal and positive definite. We treat linear solves involving the preconditioner as a subproblem which we solve iteratively. In order to minimize cost, we implement a fixed inner tolerance and a varying inner tolerance based on bounds developed by Simoncini and Szyld (2003) and van den Eshof, Sleijpen, and van Gijzen (2005). Numerical experiments compare the cost of preconditioning for various iterative solvers and block preconditioners. We also experiment with different tolerances for the iterative solution of linear solves involving the preconditioner.
Maintaining the transfer of in-service teachers’ training in the workplace

Professional training and development is a major component of updating teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and skills. However, transferring such knowledge and skill may not always be successful. Based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the present study has developed a model specifying the factors affecting transfer maintenance intention and behaviour. This model was tested with the partial least square approach to structural equation modelling. The results indicate that the TPB-oriented model is able to explain in-service teachers’ intention to maintain what they have learned from training in their jobs and their subsequent transfer maintenance behaviour. Moreover, the β coefficients indicate that attitude towards the behaviour was the major predictor of transfer maintenance intention, which was in turn the major predictor of transfer maintenance behaviour. Finally, research implications and practical implications have been provided in this study.
On the role of input for children's early production of bare infinitives in German and French: Frequency, informativeness, salience

The “optional infinitive” phenomenon, i.e. the existence of an early developmental phase in which children show a strong preference for using bare non-finite verb forms, has been the subject of many studies and much controversy. The aim of this study is to assess the role of distributional characteristics of the input for children’s early production of bare infinitives in two languages, German and French. For this purpose, three different input variables are investigated: the frequency, informativeness and salience of infinitives in child-directed speech. Results show that salience is the best predictor for the distribution of bare infinitives in the very early phase of development. Furthermore, lexical effects of individual verb forms on the patterning of bare infinitives in child speech are found which further support the constructivist idea that bare infinitives reflect the child’s learning of verb forms from compound finite verb constructions in the input.
Physical therapy and anesthetic blockage for treating temporomandibular disorders: A clinical trial

Purpose: the aim of this study was to evaluate the use of physical therapy and anesthetic blockage of the auriculotemporal nerve as a treatment for temporomandibular joint disorders. Methods: the sample comprised of twenty patients with a diagnosis of disc displacement with/ without reduction and arthralgia according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD Axis I Group IIa, IIb and IIIa). Ten patients (group 1) underwent a cycle of eight anesthetic blockages of the auriculotemporal nerve with injections (1 per week) of 1 ml of bupivacaine 0.5% without vasoconstrictor for 8 weeks. The other 10 patients (group 2) received anesthetic blockage and physical therapy (massage and muscular stretching exercises). After the end of treatment all patients were evaluated at baseline, 1st week, 4th week and 2 months. The t-Student and F (ANOVA) tests were used for statistical analysis, with a significance rate of 5%. Results: there was a significant difference when both groups were compared according to VAS score (p=0.027). There was no significant difference for the other variables: MMO and jaw protrusion. Conclusion: the anesthetic blockage and physical therapy, when used together, are effective in the reduction of pain in patients with TMD. Key words:Temporomandibular joint disorders, physical therapy, physiotherapy and nerve block, local anesthetic, bupivacaine.
An Experimental Analysis of Trust and Trustworthiness

We report results from experiments analyzing trust and trustworthiness, which are components of social capital and have an impact on diverse economic phenomena. We conduct a within-subjects experiment where subjects participate in both the trust game and the dictator game and find that transfers in the trust game are higher and are motivated by expected reciprocation. Subjects in our experiment exhibit positive reciprocity. We find that trustworthiness in the trust game implies trust but not vice versa. Trustworthy subjects are also more generous in the dictator game. Finally we explore gender differences in behavior and find that men are more trusting than women but there are no significant gender differences in reciprocal behavior
Comparing Chinese and Western Visitors’ Responses to Interpretive Signs at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, China

ABSTRACT Visitor experiences and interpretation at wildlife tourism sites are often designed to encourage visitors to adopt conservation actions. Typically, conservation messages are delivered via one-size-fits-all interpretive signage, with little consideration given to whether the same information attracts and engages different cultural groups. This study explores Chinese and international visitors’ perceptions of signage at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Four sign prototypes were designed and a combination of visitor observations, interviews, and exit surveys were used to test their attracting and holding power. Comparisons of Chinese and Western visitors revealed no significant difference in the proportion who stopped to read signs. Preferences for signage elements were also similar across the two cultural groups; however, there were differences in terms of what visitors thought should be included in wildlife interpretation. Implications for the design and delivery of interpretation in Chinese wildlife tourism settings are discussed.
The Contribution of Psychoanalysis to Organization Studies and Management: An Overview

A prolific current of research focusing on the psychodynamics of work, leadership and organizations has taken form over approximately the last 60 years. The richness of this current remains in full evidence today and shows the interest of applying psychoanalysis to research work on management. First, psychoanalysis can aid researchers to develop a more profound comprehension of organizational functioning by taking into account the effects of the unconscious. Second, it can guide them in different fields of intervention by transposing aspects of the analytical treatment and integrating transference. Last, it can allow them to re-question managerial ends from a slightly ‘askew’ point of view informed by psychoanalytic ethics and recognition of the ‘subject’. This review article aims at examining these issues and offering psychoanalytic theory as a paradigm for the study of management.
Race, Ethnicity, and Habitual-Offender Sentencing

Although sentencing research has expanded over the past decade, very little has been published in the area of habitual-offender statutes. The current research revisits and updates two of the few studies that focused on these sentencing enhancements. Crawford, Chiricos, and Kleck (1998), and later Crawford (2000), examined the application of the habitual-offender sentence enhancement for offenders in Florida in 1992 and 1993. Consistent with the prior research, this study includes individual-level as well as county-level variables and also updates the analysis by examining more recent data, including a measure of ethnicity, and using hierarchical general linear modeling to simultaneously model individual-level data nested within counties. The racial threat perspective serves as the backdrop to explain racial and ethnic disparity in punishment decisions based on contextual as well as individual threat. The findings indicate that racial and ethnic sentence disparity exists when habitual-offender status is invoked in Florida.
Advances in Hypoxia-Mediated Mechanisms in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common and the third most deadly malignant tumor worldwide. Hypoxia and related oxidative stress are heavily involved in the process of HCC development and its therapies. However, direct and accurate measurement of oxygen concentration and evaluation of hypoxic effects in HCC prove difficult. Moreover, the hypoxia-mediated mechanisms in HCC remain elusive. Here, we summarize recent major evidence of hypoxia in HCC lesions shown by measuring partial pressure of oxygen (pO2), the clinical importance of hypoxic markers in HCC, and recent advances in hypoxia-related mechanisms and therapies in HCC. For the mechanisms, we focus mainly on the roles of oxygen-sensing proteins (i.e., hypoxia-inducible factor and neuroglobin) and hypoxia-induced signaling proteins (e.g., matrix metalloproteinases, high mobility group box 1, Beclin 1, glucose metabolism enzymes, and vascular endothelial growth factor). With respect to therapies, we discuss mainly YQ23, sorafenib, 2-methoxyestradiol, and celastrol. This review focuses primarily on the results of clinical and animal studies.
From the Cold War to Kosovo: The Rise and Renewal of the Field of International Human Rights

▪ Abstract This review explores the creation and transformation of the field of international human rights in the period after World War II. The narrative proceeds through an examination, based on documentary evidence and interviews, of three generations of human rights nongovernmental organizations: the International Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. Each was created in part to overcome the limitations of the previous generation, and the process, linked to developments in the U.S. field of state power and U.S. activities abroad—especially in Latin America—gradually produced a field with substantial legal autonomy. At the same time, however, the structure of the field moved increasingly close to U.S. power and the issues and strategies that would gain credibility in the United States. The autonomy is therefore structurally close to U.S. power.
Food-Safety Practices in the Domestic Kitchen: Demographic, Personality, and Experiential Determinants

The impact of consumer behavior in determining the safety of foods prepared at home has focused so far on the role of isolated consumer practices. In addition, demographic factors have been applied primarily to explain differences between individuals. In this paper, the use of psychological factors to predict scores on the integrated food-safety score is advocated. In order to assess the relevance of psychological constructs to food-safety behaviors, several relations are tested at the same time in a structural equation model in which it is demonstrated that the inclusion of psychological determinants leads to a better model for the prediction of food-related behaviors in comparison to demographic factors alone.
Personality Disorders Associated with Generalized Anxiety, Panic, and Recurrent Depressive Disorders

Using a structured interview, the Personality Disorder Examination, the authors examined DSM-III-R personality disorders in 37 patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), 40 with panic disorder (PD), and 38 with recurrent major depressive disorder (RD) in order to delineate personality disorders associated with these Axis I diagnoses. A higher proportion of PD than GAD and RD patients met criteria for one or more personality diagnosis (50% vs. 41% and 34%, respectively), and PD patients had a greater variety of personality disorders
The Unquiet Woods: Ecological Change and Peasant Resistance in the Himalaya

Expanded Edition This new, expanded edition of The Unquiet Woods, Ramachandra Guha's pathbreaking study of peasant movements against commercial forestry, offers a new epilogue that brings the story of Himalayan social protest up-to-date, reflecting the Chipko movement's continuing influence in the wider world. A new appendix charts the progress of environmental history in India. The bibliography and index have been revised and updated.
Evaluating OVal-9, An Instrument for Detecting Experiences of Value in Daily Occupations

The drastic increase of psychosocial ill health may point to the fact that current lifestyles produce longer lives, but with increased chronic disorders rather than greater health. Focus on current lifestyles, that is, on peoples' daily environments, are thereby warranted to develop models and methods for tracing health promoting factors inherent in people's daily participation and experiences. This study tests the content validity of OVal-9, an instrument based on the new concept; Occupational Value, among a sample of experts, students and clients. The result shows a good ability to assess the value that people experience in their daily occupations. We are convinced that measuring Occupational Value might be of importance in developing future strategies for intervention and prevention needed for the increasing incidence of mental ill-health.
Regular primary schoolteachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education: a review of the literature

Teachers are seen as key persons to implement inclusive education. Positive attitudes are therefore argued as playing a considerable role in implementing this educational change successfully. The aim of this study is to examine what attitudes teachers hold towards inclusive education, which variables are related to their attitudes and if these affect the social participation of pupils with special needs in regular schools. A review of 26 studies revealed that the majority of teachers hold neutral or negative attitudes towards the inclusion of pupils with special needs in regular primary education. No studies reported clear positive results. Several variables are found which relate to teachers’ attitudes, such as training, experience with inclusive education and pupils’ type of disability. No conclusion could be drawn regarding the effects of teachers’ attitudes on the social participation of pupils with special needs.
Game Factors and Game-Based Learning Design Model

How to design useful digital game-based learning is a topic worthy of discussion. Past research focused on specific game genres design, but it is difficult to use when the target game genre differs from the default genres used in the research. This study presents macrodesign concepts that elucidates 11 crucial game-design factors, including game goals, game mechanism, game fantasy, game value, interaction, freedom, narrative, sensation, challenges, sociality, and mystery. We clearly define each factor and analyze the relationships among the 11 factors to construct a game-based learning design model. Two application examples are analyzed to verify the usability of the model and the performance of these factors. It can assist educational game designers in developing interesting games.
Effects of a creativity training program for Breadth and Organization on the creativity thinking skills of students with learning disability

This study aimed at examining the effect of a creativity training program on the creativity thinking skills of students with learning disability of the fifth grade in Al Ain District. The sample of this study consisted of (32) students. They were randomly assigned into two groups, the experimental (16), and the control (16), the experimental group was exposed to the creative training program. Torrance Figural Test was administered to both groups as (pre-posttest). The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS; 1998) was used for the initial screening data and the subsequent analysis. Descriptive hierarchical discriminant function analysis was used to address the research question. The results of this study indicated that there were significant effect of a training program on the fluency, flexibility, and elaboration in favor of the experimental group.
Mechanisms of Taxol-induced cell death are concentration dependent.

Although the ability of Taxol to stabilize cellular microtubules is well accepted, the mechanisms by which Taxol induces growth arrest and cell death remain unclear. Recent evidence indicates that Taxol alters specific intracellular signal transduction events, such as the activation of Raf-1 kinase, that may be essential for drug-induced apoptosis. To determine whether Raf-1 kinase activation occurs at different concentrations of Taxol and in response to disruption of the normal microtubule cytoskeleton, A549 cells were treated with different concentrations of Taxol after which Raf-1 activation and the microtubule cytoskeleton were analyzed. Raf-1 activation was observed at Taxol concentrations of 9 nM and greater. However, disruption of the normal microtubule cytoskeleton was seen at lower Taxol concentrations (1-7 nM), indicating that this process begins in the absence of Raf-1 activation. Raf-1 activation correlated with the induction of a G2-M block. Depletion of Raf-1 resulted in the accumulation of cells in the G2-M phase of the cell cycle, suggesting that Raf-1 may play an important role in the passage through mitosis. Supporting this idea, Raf-1 was activated in mitotic cells. Low concentrations of Taxol induced cell death in the absence of Raf-1 activation, indicating that Taxol-induced cell death is not dependent on Raf-1 activation. At concentrations of drug lower than the critical concentration required for Raf-1 activation, p53 and p21(WAF-1) were induced independently of Raf-1. These studies suggest that Taxol-mediated cell death may result from two different mechanisms. At low Taxol concentrations (< 9 nM), cell death may occur after an aberrant mitosis by a Raf-1 independent pathway, whereas at higher Taxol concentrations (> or = 9 nM) cell death may be the result of a terminal mitotic arrest occurring by a Raf-1-dependent pathway.