Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of a block-structured model with several sources of nonlinearity

This paper focuses on a state-space based approach for the identification of a rather general nonlinear block-structured model. The model has several Single-Input Single-Output (SISO) static polynomial nonlinearities connected to a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) dynamic part. The presented method is an extension and improvement of prior work, where at most two nonlinearities could be identified. The location of the nonlinearities or their relation to other parts of the model does not have to be known beforehand: the method is a black-box approach, in which no states, internal signals or structural properties need to be measured or known. The first step is to estimate a partly structured polynomial (nonlinear) state-space model from input-output measurements. Secondly, an algebraic approach is used to split the dynamics and the nonlinearities by decomposing the multivariate polynomial coefficients.
How Effective are the NSSE Benchmarks in Predicting Important Educational Outcomes?

Ernest T. Pascarella is a professor and the Mary Louise Petersen Chair in Higher Education at the University of Iowa, where he also co-directs the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education. His work focuses on the impact of college on students. Tricia A. Seifert is an assistant professor in the higher education group at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include identifying postsecondary educational experiences and contexts that foster student success. Charles Blaich is the director of the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College. He taught at Eastern Illinois University from 1987–1991 and moved to Wabash College in 1991, becoming director of the center in 2002. This research was supported by a generous grant from the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College to the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education at the University of Iowa. How Effective are the NSSE Benchmarks
Characteristics of the built environment associated with leisure-time physical activity among adults in Bogotá, Colombia: a multilevel study.

BACKGROUND Even though there is increasing evidence that the built environment (BE) has an influence on leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), little is known about this relationship in developing countries. The objective of this study was to assess the associations between objective built environment characteristics and LTPA. METHODS A cross-sectional multilevel study was conducted in 27 neighborhoods in which 1315 adults aged 18-65 years were surveyed. An adapted version of the IPAQ (long version) was used to assess LTPA. Objective BE characteristics were obtained using Geographic Information Systems. Associations were assessed using multilevel polytomous logistic regression. RESULTS Compared with inactive people, those who resided in neighborhoods with the highest tertile dedicated to parks (7.4% to 25.2%) were more likely to be regularly active (POR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.13-3.72; P = 0.021). Those who resided in neighborhoods with presence of TransMilenio stations (mass public transportation system) were more likely to be irregularly active (POR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.07-1.50, P = 0.009) as compared with inactive people. CONCLUSIONS These findings showed that park density and availability of TransMilenio stations at neighborhood level are positively associated with LTPA. Public health efforts to address physical inactivity should consider the potential influences of urban planning and mass public transportation systems on health.
Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) treatment induces apoptosis in cultured rat mesangial cells via endoplasmic reticulum stress activation

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), a high risk factor for endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease (CVD), has been reported to promote cellular dysfunction via endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress activation in various cells. Additionally, increased serum ADMA levels have been observed in incipient kidney diseases. Previously, we reported that activated ER stress is associated with mesangial cell apoptosis, observed mainly in overt nephropathy or chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the effect of ADMA on mesangial cell apoptosis is unknown. Thus, we investigated the effects of ADMA on mesangial cell apoptosis and ER stress signaling. ADMA treatment increased caspase‐3 activity and activated three branches of ER stress signaling (PERK, IRE1, and ATF6) that induce mesangial cell apoptosis. Pharmacological inhibitors of ER stress (inhibitors of PERK, IRE1, and S1P) attenuated ADMA‐induced cleavage of caspase‐3 and induced a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential. Furthermore, these inhibitors diminished the number of apoptotic cells induced by ADMA treatment. Taken together, our results indicated that ADMA treatment induces mesangial cell apoptosis via ER stress signaling. These results suggest that ADMA‐induced mesangial cell apoptosis could contribute to the progression of overt nephropathy and CKD.
Easy to Draw, but Hard to Trace?: On the Observability of Grid-based (Un)lock Patterns

We performed a systematic evaluation of the shoulder surfing susceptibility of the Android pattern (un)lock. The results of an online study (n=298) enabled us to quantify the influence of pattern length, line visibility, number of knight moves, number of overlaps and number of intersections on observation resistance. The results show that all parameters have a highly significant influence, with line visibility and pattern length being most important. We discuss implications for real-world patterns and present a linear regression model that can predict the observability of a given pattern. The model can be used to provide proactive security measurements for (un)lock patterns, in analogy to password meters.
Opening the Chrysalis: On the Real Repair Performance of MSR Codes

Large distributed storage systems use erasure codes to reliably store data. Compared to replication, erasure codes are capable of reducing storage overhead. However, repairing lost data in an erasure coded system requires reading from many storage devices and transferring over the network large amounts of data. Theoretically, Minimum Storage Regenerating (MSR) codes can significantly reduce this repair burden. Although several explicit MSR code constructions exist, they have not been implemented in real-world distributed storage systems. We close this gap by providing a performance analysis of Butterfly codes, systematic MSR codes with optimal repair I/O. Due to the complexity of modern distributed systems, a straightforward approach does not exist when it comes to implementing MSR codes. Instead, we show that achieving good performance requires to vertically integrate the code with multiple system layers. The encoding approach, the type of inter-node communication, the interaction between different distributed system layers, and even the programming language have a significant impact on the code repair performance. We show that with new distributed system features, and careful implementation, we can achieve the theoretically expected repair performance of MSR codes.
Teachers and school culture in the Czech Republic before and after 1989

This article reports the findings of research on school culture in post-totalitarian society in the Czech Republic. The research explored restructuralisation and reculturalisation in the Czech school education system through analysis of school culture in one school located in a midsized town in the central part of the country. In-depth biographical interviews were carried out with teachers who taught in the school before and after 1989, the year of the fall of communism in the Czech Republic. The article offers a detailed description of how the totalitarian regime used teachers as its servants. At the same time, it offers an analysis of the changes that were provoked by the political transformation, and how teachers reacted to them. The research also reflects aspects of change in the country as a whole as it underwent dynamic development.
Reelin Signals through Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase and Akt To Control Cortical Development and through mTor To Regulate Dendritic Growth

ABSTRACT Reelin is an extracellular matrix protein with various functions during development and in the mature brain. It activates different signaling cascades in target cells, one of which is the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, which we investigated further using pathway inhibitors and in vitro brain slice and neuronal cultures. We show that the mTor (mammalian target of rapamycin)-S6K1 (S6 kinase 1) pathway is activated by Reelin and that this depends on Dab1 (Disabled-1) phosphorylation and activation of PI3K and Akt (protein kinase B). PI3K and Akt are required for the effects of Reelin on the organization of the cortical plate, but their downstream partners mTor and glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) are not. On the other hand, mTor, but not GSK3β, mediates the effects of Reelin on the growth and branching of dendrites of hippocampal neurons. In addition, PI3K fosters radial migration of cortical neurons through the intermediate zone, an effect that is independent of Reelin and Akt.
Program slice metrics and their potential role in DSL design, position paper

The advantages a DSL and the benefits its use potentially brings imply that informed decisions on the design of a domain specific language are of paramount importance for its use. We believe that the foundations of such decisions should be informed by analysis of data empirically collected from systems to highlight salient features that should then form the basis of a DSL. To support this theory, we describe an empirical study of a large OSS called Barcode, written in C, and from which we collected two well-known 'slice' based metrics. We analyzed multiple versions of the system and sliced its functions in three separate ways (i.e., input, output and global variables). The purpose of the study was to try and identify sensitivities and traits in those metrics that might inform features of a potential slice-based DSL. Results indicated that cohesion was adversely affected through the use of global variables and that appreciation of the role of function inputs and outputs can be revealed through slicing. The study presented is motivated primarily by the problems with current tools and interfaces experienced directly by the authors in extracting slicing data and the need to promote the benefits that analysis of slice data and slicing in general can offer.
Domain Specific Ontology Extractor For Indian Languages

We present a k-partite graph learning algorithm for ontology extraction from unstructured text. The algorithm divides the initial set of terms into different partitions based on information content of the terms and then constructs ontology by detecting subsumption relation between terms in different partitions. This approach not only reduces the amount of computation required for ontology construction but also provides an additional level of term filtering. The experiments are conducted for Hindi and English and the performance is evaluated by comparing resulting ontology with manually constructed ontology for Health domain. We observe that our approach significantly improves the precision. The proposed approach does not require sophisticated NLP tools such as NER and parser and can be easily adopted for any language.
EEG Activity in Subtypes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

This article is a review of electroencephalography (EEG) studies of different types and subtypes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). The review outlines the definitional history of AD/HD, and changes that have been made to the conceptualization of the disorder as these different definitions have impacted on the EEG literature. EEG studies are examined using various models of AD/HD based on either behaviour or underlying central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities. From these studies, it appears that AD/HD children generally have increased absolute and relative power in the theta band, either at the frontal electrode sites or over the entire scalp. Reductions in absolute and relative power in the alpha and beta bands have also been found in several studies, although relative power measures appear to be more reliable than absolute power. Increased delta activity in both absolute and relative power has also been noted in several studies. These results are discussed in terms of existing CNS-based models of AD/HD, which attribute the disorder to hypoarousal or a maturational lag in CNS development. Implications of these data for clinical use and future research and development in AD/HD are considered.
Post-Settlement South Africa and the National Question: The Case of the Indian Minority

The various liberation movements in South Africa historically have criticized ideologies that emphasize political mobilization along ethnic lines. However, the African National Congress (ANC) has had to contend with former KwaZulu Chief Minister Buthelezi's attempts to appeal to Zulu identity in order to mobilize political support, as well as the difficulty of attracting the Indian and coloured votes. These trends have forced the ANC to acknowledge in its political strategy the potential power of ethnic mobilization, in spite of the commitment made by the organization and its allies to a secular democracy based on equality of citizenship.
Gravitomagnetic effects in the propagation of electromagnetic waves in variable gravitational fields of arbitrary-moving and spinning bodies

Propagation of light in the gravitational field of self-gravitating spinning bodies moving with arbitrary velocities is discussed. The gravitational field is assumed to be weak everywhere. Equations of motion of a light ray are solved in the first post-Minkowskian approximation that is linear with respect to the universal gravitational constant $G$. We do not restrict ourselves with the approximation of gravitational lens so that the solution of light geodesics is applicable for arbitrary locations of source of light and observer. This formalism is applied for studying corrections to the Shapiro time delay in binary pulsars caused by the rotation of pulsar and its companion. We also derive the correction to the light deflection angle caused by rotation of gravitating bodies in the solar system (Sun, planets) or a gravitational lens. The gravitational shift of frequency due to the combined translational and rotational motions of light-ray-deflecting bodies is analyzed as well. We give a general derivation of the formula describing the relativistic rotation of the plane of polarization of electromagnetic waves (Skrotskii effect). This formula is valid for arbitrary translational and rotational motion of gravitating bodies and greatly extends the results of previous researchers. Finally, we discuss the Skrotskii effect for gravitational waves emitted by localized sources such as a binary system. The theoretical results of this paper can be applied for studying various relativistic effects in microarcsecond space astrometry and developing corresponding algorithms for data processing in space astrometric missions such as FAME, SIM, and GAIA.
Suppression of RF noise tones caused by Rayleigh backscatter in to an unisolated laser using audio-frequency external optical-phase modulation

When Fabry-Perot lasers are subject to Rayleigh backscatter, dramatic line-narrowing and frequency hopping up to 500 MHz, evidenced by radio-frequency (RF) tones, are observed. These RF tones will severely degrade the system performance of a subcarrier multiplexed transmission system, such as quadrature phase-shift keying. In this letter, it is demonstrated that audio-frequency external optical-phase modulation can suppress the noise tones and restore the laser linewidth. This scheme may offer an inexpensive alternative to optical isolators to recover the system performance and thus is very important for cost-effective customer access networks.
Repeat stool testing for Clostridium difficile using enzyme immunoassay in patients with inflammatory bowel disease increases diagnostic yield

Abstract Background: The incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing. CDI is diagnosed by toxin enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) performed on stool samples. An earlier study evaluating EIA in IBD patients with CDI suggested that more than one stool sample be tested to increase diagnostic yield. We investigated whether repeat stool testing improves diagnostic accuracy for CDI in hospitalized IBD patients compared to hospitalized patients with CDI and no IBD. Methods: We performed retrospective data analysis from January 2005–May 2011 on 63,086 hospitalized patients who were tested for CDI using EIA or PCR. Of these, 2579 patients had IBD. Transition probabilities were calculated based on results from repeated tests. Results: Inclusive of all inpatients tested for CDI, 56,583 were tested using toxin EIA and 6503 were tested using PCR. In patients with no IBD, the first stool sample tested was positive in 90% and 94% with EIA and PCR respectively. In IBD patients tested using EIA, 101 were diagnosed with CDI. The first stool sample tested was positive in 81% of patients. Successive second and third stool samples yielded additional 14% and 5% CDI positive IBD patients. Conclusions: Approximately one in five IBD patients with CDI required repeat testing to yield a positive result with EIA. There are minimal diagnostic gains of repeat testing by EIA or PCR in patients without IBD. We recommend repeat stool testing for CDI when using EIA to increase diagnostic yield in IBD patients.
The good, the bad, and the ugly: An fMRI investigation of the functional anatomic correlates of stigma

Abstract Social interactions require fast and efficient person perception, which is best achieved through the process of categorization. However, this process can produce pernicious outcomes, particularly in the case of stigma. This study used fMRI to investigate the neural correlates involved in forming both explicit (“Do you like or dislike this person? ”) and implicit (“Is this a male or female? ”) judgments of people possessing well-established stigmatized conditions (obesity, facial piercings, transsexuality, and unattractiveness), as well as normal controls. Participants also made post-scan disgust ratings on all the faces that they viewed during imaging. These ratings were subsequently examined (modeled linearly) in a parametric analysis. Regions of interest that emerged include areas previously demonstrated to respond to aversive and disgust-inducing material (amygdala and insula), as well as regions strongly associated with inhibition and control (anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal cortex). Further, greater differences in activation were observed in the implicit condition for both the amygdala and prefrontal cortical regions in response to the most negatively perceived faces. Specifically, as subcortical responses (e.g., amygdala) increased, cortical responses (e.g., lateral PFC and anterior cingulate) also increased, indicating the possibility of inhibitory processing. These findings help elucidate the neural underpinnings of stigma.
Analysis and Modeling of Permanent Magnet Variable Flux Memory Motors Using Magnetic Equivalent Circuit Method

This paper presents an analytical method based on the magnetic equivalent circuit to derive permanent magnet (PM) load-lines of two general types of a variable flux memory motor (VFMM), which are circumferentially embedded (CE)-type and radially embedded (RE)-type PM motors. The proposed PM load-line models are valid and suitable for investigating the PM magnetization characteristics of VFMMs. It is validated via visible comparison with the PM load-lines derived by the finite-element method. Furthermore, by making use of the proposed method, the magnetization characteristics of several CE and RE VFMMs, which have different geometry parameters, have been examined and compared. According to the analysis results, RE-type VFMMs require approximately ten times larger remagnetizing field than CE-type VFMMs, although RE VFMMs are further influenced by demagnetizing field than CE VFMMs.
Kuleana: The Right, Responsibility, and Authority of Indigenous Peoples to Speak and Make Decisions for Themselves in Language and Cultural Revitalization

The recent movement to revitalize the Hawaiian language and culture through the Kula Kaiapuni, or the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program, has grown over the past 11 years to include almost 1,600 students during the 1998–99 school year. During this period, the field of Hawaiian language has become highly politicized by nonindigenous Hawaiian language educators attempting to colonize the field and control resources purported to redress wrongs to the native people including loss of language and culture.
Relational Norms and Goal Orientation in the Indian Market

Abstract Using three of Macneil's relational norms within the context of the Indian buyer-seller (channel members) relationships, this study empirically examines the relationship between relational norms and different organization goal orientations (that of the manufacturer/ marketer). The results indicate that Indian firms' orientation towards profitability is associated with their orientation towards market share and growth rate. Interestingly the orientations towards the goals of market share, growth rate, and sales volume are strongly associated with one another. As regards the association between the goal orientation and relational norms, the feeling of trust, expectation of future cooperation and long-term relational perspective, captured in solidarity and mutuality, are strongly associated with tangible goal orientation. On the other hand, the norm of role integrity capturing the complexity aspect of relational norm is not associated with the tangible goal orientations.
Pole-Converging Intrastage Bandwidth Extension Technique for Wideband Amplifiers

To overcome limitations on bandwidth extension in conventional design techniques, a novel pole-converging technique with transformer feedback for intrastage bandwidth extension is proposed and analyzed in this paper. For verification, a three-stage cascode low-noise amplifier (LNA) based on the pole converging and negative drain–source transformer feedback is designed and implemented in a 65-nm CMOS technology. Consuming 27 mW dc power from a 1.8 V supply, the fabricated prototype exhibits peak power gain of 18.5 dB, minimum noise figure of 5.5 dB, 3-dB bandwidth of 30 GHz, and fractional bandwidth of 38.7%. The bandwidth of the three-stage cascode LNA is significantly extended without increasing power consumption and die size.