Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of crosstalk propagation on the performance of All-Optical Networks

The performance of current transport networks is limited by the speed of electronic components and in particular by electronic switches. The new generation All-Optical Networks (AONs) provide a solution to this problem by switching the data entirely in optical domain. However these optical switches are prone to crosstalk. The crosstalk is a major source of signal impairments in All-Optical Networks. This paper studies the effects of crosstalk originated at intermediate nodes by optical switches in the presence of fiber nonlinearities and ASE. The performance of a 1000Km, 10 Gb/s crosstalk limited All-Optical Network is studied in terms of Q-factor. The optimization of input power and choice of modulation format are presented as the solution to counter the crosstalk impairment at transmission section layer.
Generational analysis of trends in unprotected sex in France among men who have sex with men: The major role of context-driven evolving patterns

Objective Using a generational approach, this study analyses how unprotected anal intercourse has evolved since 1991 in France across different generations of men who have sex with men (MSM) whose sexual lives began at different periods in the history of the HIV epidemic. Design Data were collected from 18–59 year-old respondents to the French Gay Press surveys Enquêtes Presse Gay, conducted repeatedly between 1991 and 2011 (N = 32,196) using self-administered questionnaires distributed in gay magazines and over the internet. Methods Trends in unprotected anal intercourse (i.e. condomless anal sex) with casual partners of unknown or different HIV serostatus (hereafter “UAId” in this manuscript) were studied. Responses were analysed according to year and then reorganised for age-cohort analyses by generation, based on the year respondents turned 18. Results UAId rates fell from 1991 to 1997, and then rose from 13.4% in 1997 to 25.5% in 2011 among seronegative respondents, and from 24.8% to 63.3%, respectively, among seropositive respondents. Both in seropositive and seronegative respondents, UAId increased over time for all generations, indicative of a strong period effect. Conclusion Analyses of data from several generations of MSM who started their sexual lives at different time points in the HIV epidemic, revealed very similar trends in UAId between generations, among both seropositive and seronegative respondents. This strong period effect suggests that sexual behaviours in MSM are influenced more by contextual than generational factors. The fact that prevention practices are simultaneously observed in different generations and that there are most likely underlying prevention norms among MSM, suggests that PrEP could become widely accepted by all generations of MSM exposed to the risk of HIV.
Behavioural and Neural Correlates of Individual Differences in Episodic Memory

Episodic autobiographical memory (AM) refers to the real-life recollection of personal events that are contextually-bound to a particular time and place. Anecdotally, individuals differ widely in their ability to remember these types of experiences, yet little cognitive neuroscience research exists to support this idea. By contrast, there is a growing body of literature demonstrating that individual differences in episodic memory for laboratory experiences, intended to serve as a proxy for real life, are associated with brain-biomarkers. The present studies provide a starting point for exploring individual differences in the real-life expression of memory; which is more complex, multifaceted and has longer retention intervals, than laboratory memory (LM), thus allowing for the assessment of remote memory. While there are many factors that contribute to individual differences in episodic AM, the focus of this dissertation is on genetic influences. In particular, the KIBRA gene has been associated with episodic LM in a replicated genomewide association study; T-carriers showing enhanced performance relative to individuals who lack this allele. The present series of studies explored the association of KIBRA with
Why Money Talks and Wealth Whispers : Monetary Uncertainty and Mystique

This paper analyzes the effect of monetary uncertainty on the inflationary bias and the variance of output and inflation. Monetary policy uncertainty is modeled as a shock to the central banker’s preference for inflation stabilization relative to output stabilization that cannot be observed by the public. We find that the mean and variance of inflation increase with the variance of this preference shock. However, unlike other studies, we find that monetary uncertainty may very well have a positive effect on output stabilization and therefore also on society’s welfare. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
Division of Economics Stirling Management School Modelling Stock Returns in Africa's Emerging Equity Markets Modelling Stock Returns in Africa's Emerging Equity Markets

We investigate the behaviour of stock returns in Africa's largest markets The validity of the random walk hypothesis is examined and rejected by employing a battery of tests. Secondly we employ smooth transition and conditional volatility models to uncover the dynamics of the first two moments and examine weak from efficiency. The empirical stylized facts of volatility clustering, leptokurtosis and leverage effect are present in the African data. Acknowledgements: We would like to thank David Chappell, Costas Milas and seminar participants in Loughborough University and London Metropolitan University for useful comments. 2 But this is the age of globalisation, when investors feel free to boldly go where they had not gone before. After all, places that were previously regarded as exotic, from Bulgaria to Vietnam, are integrated into the global economy. Now it may be Africa's turn. Economist 29/6/2007.
The Effects of Using Graphic Calculators in Teaching and Learning of Mathematics

Although graphic calculators have been developed in mathematics education for nearly two decades, research on the technology’s use is not robust. Its use in secondary schools (for example, in Great Britain, France, Sweden, New Zealand, Netherlands, and United States) is not well understood, universally accepted, nor well-documented. In Malaysia, research on the usage of graphic calculators is still in its infancy and therefore its use has yet to be explored. Thus, there is a need to further research in this area especially in the context of teaching and learning of mathematics at secondary school level in Malaysia. This study employs a quasiexperimental with non equivalent control group design. The main objective of the study was to investigate the effects of the use of graphic calculators on Form four secondary school students’ mathematics achievement and metacognitive awareness in the learning area of Relation and Function. Students’ views about their experiences benefits and difficulties experienced in using graphic calculators in learning of mathematics were sought. Preliminary findings of this study provided pedagogical impact of the use of graphic calculators as a tool in teaching and learning of mathematics in Malaysia.
Emergency physicians' management of transient ischemic attack and desired sensitivity of a clinical decision rule for stroke in three countries.

OBJECTIVE Four to 10% of patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) suffer a stroke or die within 7 days. Our objectives were to determine (1) current practice for investigating and treating emergency department (ED) patients with TIA, (2) willingness to use a clinical decision rule to identify patients at high risk of impending stroke or death, and (3) the required sensitivity of this rule. METHODS We administered a mail survey to a random sample of members of three national emergency physician associations in Australia, Canada, and the United States using a modified Dillman technique. A prenotification letter and up to three surveys were sent. RESULTS A total of 801 responses (53.7%) from 1,493 surveys were received; 53.6% (95% CI 47.5-59.7) of emergency physicians reported routinely admitting TIA patients, ranging from 6.6% in Canada to 56.7% in the United States, and 9.9% of emergency physicians have a stroke prevention clinic, with 4.7% estimating that patients are seen within 7 days. A sensitive clinical decision rule for TIA patients would be used by 96.3% (95% CI 93.9-98.7) of emergency physicians. The median required sensitivity of this rule for stroke or death within 7 days was 97%. CONCLUSIONS Almost half of all TIA patients are managed as outpatients, which is neither expedited nor in a dedicated stroke clinic. Emergency physicians indicate a willingness to use a highly sensitive clinical decision rule to triage TIA patients.
Attitudes of University Students toward Exceptional Children and Special Education

WHAT you think 0/ me, I'll think 0/ me; and what I think 0/ me will be me. Thus can be summarized much of what has come to be recognized about the role of attitude in personality development. Berreman (1) has indicated the implications of such information for the area of exceptional children, pointing out that the attitudes of the exceptional child toward himself can make any kind or degree of exceptionalityinto an enormous or a minimal barrier to adjustment. How, then, is the exceptional child regarded by the important others in his environment? Tenny (4) describes physically handicapped individuals as members of a minority group, and shows the similarity of their plight in seeking education, jobs, and acceptance to that of members of other minority groups. Research has shown that parents, teachers, and age-peers exhibit toward the exceptional individual reactions which emphasize to him how "different" he is, and that to be different is to be less acceptable. Kvaraceus (3) recently reported a study made with graduate students in education and social service which suggested that, even among
Secreted Acid Phosphatase (SapM) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is Indispensable for Arresting Phagosomal Maturation and Growth of the Pathogen in Guinea Pig Tissues

Tuberculosis (TB) is responsible for nearly 1.4 million deaths globally every year and continues to remain a serious threat to human health. The problem is further complicated by the growing incidence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), emphasizing the need for the development of new drugs against this disease. Phagosomal maturation arrest is an important strategy employed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis to evade the host immune system. Secretory acid phosphatase (SapM) of M.tuberculosis is known to dephosphorylate phosphotidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) present on phagosomes. However, there have been divergent reports on the involvement of SapM in phagosomal maturation arrest in mycobacteria. This study was aimed at reascertaining the involvement of SapM in phagosomal maturation arrest in M.tuberculosis. Further, for the first time, we have also studied whether SapM is essential for the pathogenesis of M.tuberculosis. By deleting the sapM gene of M.tuberculosis, we demonstrate that MtbΔsapM is defective in the arrest of phagosomal maturation as well as for growth in human THP-1 macrophages. We further show that MtbΔsapM is severely attenuated for growth in the lungs and spleen of guinea pigs and has a significantly reduced ability to cause pathological damage in the host when compared with the parental strain. Also, the guinea pigs infected with MtbΔsapM exhibited a significantly enhanced survival when compared with M.tuberculosis infected animals. The importance of SapM in phagosomal maturation arrest as well as in the pathogenesis of M.tuberculosis establishes it as an attractive target for the development of new therapeutic molecules against tuberculosis.
Chandra Observations of Gas Stripping in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 4552 in the Virgo Cluster

We use a 54.4 ks Chandra observation to study ram pressure stripping in NGC 4552 (M89), an elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster. Chandra images in the 0.5-2 keV band show a sharp leading edge in the surface brightness 3.1 kpc north of the galaxy center, a cool (kT = 0.51 keV) tail with mean density ne ~ × 10-3 cm-3 extending ~10 kpc to the south of the galaxy, and two 3-4 kpc horns of emission extending southward away from the leading edge. These are all features characteristic of supersonic ram pressure stripping of galaxy gas, due to NGC 4552's motion through the surrounding Virgo ICM. Fitting the surface brightness profile and spectra across the leading edge, we find the galaxy gas inside the edge is cooler (kT = 0.43 keV) and denser (ne ~ 0.010 cm-3) than the surrounding Virgo ICM [kT = 2.2 keV and ne = (3.0 ± 0.3) × 10-4 cm-3]. The resulting pressure ratio between the free-streaming ICM and cluster gas at the stagnation point is ~7.6 for galaxy gas metallicities of 0.5 Z☉, which suggests that NGC 4552 is moving supersonically through the cluster with a velocity v ~ 1680 km s-1 (Mach 2.2) at an angle ξ ~ 35° ± 7° toward us with respect to the plane of the sky.
Antioxidant Capacity Determination in Plants and Plant-Derived Products: A Review

The present paper aims at reviewing and commenting on the analytical methods applied to antioxidant and antioxidant capacity assessment in plant-derived products. Aspects related to oxidative stress, reactive oxidative species' influence on key biomolecules, and antioxidant benefits and modalities of action are discussed. Also, the oxidant-antioxidant balance is critically discussed. The conventional and nonconventional extraction procedures applied prior to analysis are also presented, as the extraction step is of pivotal importance for isolation and concentration of the compound(s) of interest before analysis. Then, the chromatographic, spectrometric, and electrochemical methods for antioxidant and antioxidant capacity determination in plant-derived products are detailed with respect to their principles, characteristics, and specific applications. Peculiarities related to the matrix characteristics and other factors influencing the method's performances are discussed. Health benefits of plants and derived products are described, as indicated in the original source. Finally, critical and conclusive aspects are given when it comes to the choice of a particular extraction procedure and detection method, which should consider the nature of the sample, prevalent antioxidant/antioxidant class, and the mechanism underlying each technique. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed for each method.
Classifying simulated and physiological heart rate variability signals

The main intention of this contribution is to sketch our way of analysing the 50 time series from the 2002 Computers in Cardiology challenge. The task to cope is to discriminate simulated and physiological heart rate variability signals. Our approach for doing this is rather simple: We exclude time series which show nonphysiological behaviour. The methods applied serve to quantify the distribution of the RR-intervals, the circadian beat-to-beat variability as well as the beat-to-beat dynamics. Using cut-offs for these parameters, both time series groups can be discriminated clearly. Thus, the intricate interdependencies of variations in heart rate variability data on different scales are still difficult to simulate, such that even an experienced observer may be misled easily. To demonstrate the suitability of our methods not only for characterising simulated and physiological data, an outline of further applications shall be given.
Development of APHAB Norms for WDRC Hearing Aids and Comparisons with Original Norms

Objectives: This study was undertaken for two purposes: First, to provide a comparison of subjective performance and benefit measured with the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire for two groups. One group included hearing-impaired individuals using 1990s-era linear processing hearing aids. The other group included hearing-impaired individuals using more current wide-dynamic range compression (WDRC)-capable hearing aids fit using current practice protocols. The second purpose of this study was to determine whether APHAB norms derived from scores for current hearing aid users were different from the original 1995 norms. It was hypothesized that technology improvements would result in improved subjective performance for modern hearing aid wearers. Design: A systematic sampling method was used to identify and recruit subjects from seven private-practice audiology clinics located across the United States. Potential subjects were limited to older hearing-impaired individuals who were wearing hearing aids capable of WDRC processing. One hundred fifty-four subjects returned completed APHAB questionnaires. Participants reported mostly moderate to moderately severe subjective hearing difficulty. Results: No differences in perceived difficulty with speech communication were observed between the two groups. However, aversiveness of amplified sound was less frequently reported for users of WDRC-capable hearing aids. Norms were generated using data from all of the operationally defined successful hearing aid users in the sample and compared with the original 1995 norms. Differences between the 1995 and 2005 norms were minimal for the speech communication subscales. However, the 2005 group consistently reported less frequent difficulties with sound aversiveness (AV subscale) in the aided condition. In addition to these findings, an improvement was observed in the rate of successful adjustment to hearing aids between 1995 (43%) and 2005 (82%). Conclusions: Overall, problems understanding amplified speech did not decrease in frequency when hearing aids transitioned from linear to compression processing; however, the compression capabilities of current hearing aids (with a possible contribution from noise reduction algorithms) have resulted in less negative reactions to amplified environmental sounds. This suggests that modern technology has ameliorated (to some extent) the common complaint that hearing aids cause many everyday sounds to become objectionably loud. Although the results of this study suggest that the advantages of improved technology do not lie in the domains of improved subjective speech communication performance, substantial improvement in the rate of successful adjustment to hearing aids between the 1995 and 2005 subject groups provides evidence that modern hearing aid technology has produced progress in other outcome domains.
A Viewpoint on Wearable Technology-Enabled Measurement of Wellbeing and Health-Related Quality of Life in Parkinson’s Disease

In this viewpoint, we discuss how several aspects of Parkinson’s disease (PD) – known to be correlated with wellbeing and health-related quality of life–could be measured using wearable devices (‘wearables’). Moreover, three people with PD (PwP) having exhaustive experience with using such devices write about their personal understanding of wellbeing and health-related quality of life, building a bridge between the true needs defined by PwP and the available methods of data collection. Rapidly evolving new technologies develop wearables that probe function and behaviour in domestic environments of people with chronic conditions such as PD and have the potential to serve their needs. Gathered data can serve to inform patient-driven management changes, enabling greater control by PwP and enhancing likelihood of improvements in wellbeing and health-related quality of life. Data can also be used to quantify wellbeing and health-related quality of life. Additionally these techniques can uncover novel more sensitive and more ecologically valid disease-related endpoints. Active involvement of PwP in data collection and interpretation stands to provide personally and clinically meaningful endpoints and milestones to inform advances in research and relevance of translational efforts in PD.
The Effects of Infrastructure Development on Growth and Income Distribution

The authors provide an empirical evaluation of the impact of infrastructure development on economic growth and income distribution using a large panel data set encompassing over 100 countries and spanning the years 1960-2000. The empirical strategy involves the estimation of simple equations for GDP growth and conventional inequality measures, augmented to include, among the regressors, infrastructure quantity and quality indicators, in addition to standard controls. To account for the potential endogeneity of infrastructure (as well as that of other regressors), the authors use a variety of generalized-method-of-moments (GMM) estimators based on both internal and external instruments and report results using both disaggregated and synthetic measures of infrastructure quantity and quality. The two robust results are: (1) growth is positively affected by the stock of infrastructure assets, and (2) income inequality declines with higher infrastructure quantity and quality. A variety of specification tests suggests that these results do capture the causal impact of the exogenous component of infrastructure quantity and quality on growth and inequality. These two results combined suggest that infrastructure development can be highly effective to combat poverty. Furthermore, illustrative simulations for Latin American countries suggest that these impacts are economically quite significant, and highlight the growth acceleration and inequality reduction that would result from increased availability, and quality of infrastructure.
A Tabu Search Algortihm for the Railway Scheduling Problem

Aim of this presentation is to introduce a tabu search algorithm for a general scheduling problem modeled by means of the alternative graph. The alternative graph is a mathematical model, which is based on a generalization of the disjunctive graph of Roy and Sussman [6]. It allows a detailed representation of many scheduling problems. It was successfully applied to several real world environments such as the production of stainless steel and traffic management of railway networks.