Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cooperative Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radio Networks with Weighted Decision Fusion Schemes

In cognitive radio networks, joint optimization of sensing time and cooperative fusion scheme has been studied in the past in terms of sensing-throughput tradeoff design. In this paper, different from previous studies, we consider the case that the secondary users have different detection signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and their decisions are weighted based on the likelihood-ratio test at the fusion center. We consider three scenarios. In Scenario I, we optimize individual secondary users' thresholds together with the fusion rule's threshold at the fusion center. In Scenario II, all the secondary users' thresholds are constrained to be the same and we seek the optimal threshold jointly with the fusion rule's threshold at the fusion center. In Scenario III, each secondary user computes its own threshold while the fusion center optimizes the fusion rule's threshold based on the secondary users' threshold results. Solutions are provided for the three different scenarios and computer simulations are presented to compare their performances.
A New Visual Aesthetic Sensitivity Test: I. Construction and Psychometric Properties

This paper reports progress in construction of a new test of visual aesthetic sensitivity, differing from previous tests in that the items were drawn by an experienced artist of international reputation. There are 42 sets of 2 non-representational pictures, differing in that one of these has been changed by the incorporation of certain intentional design faults; there is thus a “right” and a “wrong” picture, and it is the task of the subject to discover the right answer. Eight practising artists validated the construction by agreeing 100% in their answers with the key. The test was administered to 111 male and female students, and 369 male and female children. There were no sex differences, no very significant correlations with intelligence, and very little by way of correlations with personality traits. The mean score of the children was 30, that of the students 35, a very significant difference. Within the group of children, however, there was no correlation with age. The distribution of scores was skewed, with easy items (high scores) predominating. The difficulty levels of the items were similar for adults and children, male and female. The internal reliability of the test was . 84 for the adults. The retest reliability of the test was . 70 for girls and . 32 for boys, but the samples were small.
Open access family centres and their users: positive results, some doubts and new departures

This article reports findings from a research study of two open access, multi-use, community-based family centres. Structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 adult users and 40 local adult non-users of the two centres. Additionally, a profile of user characteristics was derived from a survey of users attending over a one-week period at both centres. The vast majority of users were women in their twenties, just over half of whom attended with their children. The benefits and limitations of the current functioning of open access centres are discussed, with a potential shift in emphasis along a social development model proposed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hubble Space Telescope Snapshot Study of Variable Stars in Globular Clusters: The Inner Region of NGC 6441

We present the results of a Hubble Space Telescope snapshot program to survey the inner region of the metal-rich globular cluster NGC 6441 for its variable stars. A total of 57 variable stars were found, including 38 RR Lyrae stars, six Population II Cepheids, and 12 long-period variables. Twenty-four of the RR Lyrae stars and all of the Population II Cepheids were previously undiscovered in ground-based surveys. Of the RR Lyrae stars observed in this survey, 26 are pulsating in the fundamental mode with a mean period of 0.753 days and 12 are first-overtone–mode pulsators with a mean period of 0.365 days. These values match up very well with those found in ground-based surveys. Combining all the available data for NGC 6441, we find mean periods of 0.759 and 0.375 days for the RRab and RRc stars, respectively. We also find that the RR Lyrae stars in this survey are located in the same regions of a period-amplitude diagram as those found in ground-based surveys. The overall ratio of RRc to total RR Lyrae stars is 0.33. Although NGC 6441 is a metal-rich globular cluster and would, on that ground, be expected either to have few RR Lyrae stars or to be an Oosterhoff type I system, its RR Lyrae stars more closely resemble those in Oosterhoff type II globular clusters. However, even compared with typical Oosterhoff type II systems, the mean period of its RRab stars is unusually long. We also derived I-band period-luminosity relations for the RR Lyrae stars. Of the six Population II Cepheids, five are of W Virginis type and one is a BL Herculis variable star. This makes NGC 6441, along with NGC 6388, the most metal-rich globular cluster known to contain these types of variable stars. Another variable, V118, may also be a Population II Cepheid, given its long period and its separation in magnitude from the RR Lyrae stars. We examine the period-luminosity relation for these Population II Cepheids and compare it with those in other globular clusters and in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We argue that there does not appear to be a change in the period-luminosity relation slope between the BL Herculis and W Virginis stars, but that a change of slope does occur when the RV Tauri stars are added to the period-luminosity relation.
Parent and Teacher Relationships as Predictors of School Engagement and Functioning Among Low-Income Urban Youth

This investigation examined associations between early adolescents' relationships with parents and teachers and indicators of school-adjustment. Participants were primarily students of color (91% Latino) in a low-income urban environment, and analyses were conducted to examine the relative contributions of parent-child and teacher-student relationships to school adjustment among these youth. Findings indicated that parent-child relationship quality accounted for a significant portion of the variance in student-rated school engagement, school competence, and standardized achievement in reading. Teacher-student relationship quality accounted for a significant amount of variance in student-reported engagement, grades in language arts, grades in mathematics, and mathematical achievement. Unclear expectations in relationships with parents, and closeness-trust with teachers made particularly strong contributions to school adjustment. Interaction analyses between parent and teacher relationship factors were significant for only one of the six school adjustment variables (i.e., student-rated school competence). The implications of these findings for teachers and other school personnel are discussed.
Memory for proper names: age differences in retrieval

Memory for proper names was investigated using (i) a questionnaire and (ii) an experimental task. Subjects ranging in age from 20 to 80 years recorded details of naturally occurring retrieval blocks for proper names. Age differences in the nature of the blocks were apparent. For the young and middle-aged partial information about the target name was usually available and non-target candidates were elicited during search for the target name. Elderly subjects more frequently experienced an ‘empty gap’, with no partial information about the target name and no candidate names. The experimental task required recall of names and descriptions from specially constructed fictional biographies. There was an age-related deficit in recall of all types of information, but in all age groups memory for names of people was poorer than memory for names of places, occupations and hobbies. Some explanations for the difficulty of retrieving people's names and for the age effects are considered.
K+ Channel Expression Distinguishes Subpopulations of Parvalbumin- and Somatostatin-Containing Neocortical Interneurons

Kv3.1 and Kv3.2 K+ channel proteins form similar voltage-gated K+ channels with unusual properties, including fast activation at voltages positive to −10 mV and very fast deactivation rates. These properties are thought to facilitate sustained high-frequency firing. Kv3.1 subunits are specifically found in fast-spiking, parvalbumin (PV)-containing cortical interneurons, and recent studies have provided support for a crucial role in the generation of the fast-spiking phenotype. Kv3.2 mRNAs are also found in a small subset of neocortical neurons, although the distribution of these neurons is different. We raised antibodies directed against Kv3.2 proteins and used dual-labeling methods to identify the neocortical neurons expressing Kv3.2 proteins and to determine their subcellular localization. Kv3.2 proteins are prominently expressed in patches in somatic and proximal dendritic membrane as well as in axons and presynaptic terminals of GABAergic interneurons. Kv3.2 subunits are found in all PV-containing neurons in deep cortical layers where they probably form heteromultimeric channels with Kv3.1 subunits. In contrast, in superficial layer PV-positive neurons Kv3.2 immunoreactivity is low, but Kv3.1 is still prominently expressed. Because Kv3.1 and Kv3.2 channels are differentially modulated by protein kinases, these results raise the possibility that the fast-spiking properties of superficial- and deep-layer PV neurons are differentially regulated by neuromodulators. Interestingly, Kv3.2 but not Kv3.1 proteins are also prominent in a subset of seemingly non-fast-spiking, somatostatin- and calbindin-containing interneurons, suggesting that the Kv3.1–Kv3.2 current type can have functions other than facilitating high-frequency firing.
Positive environment in the workplace: the case of the mediating role of work engagement between restorativeness and job satisfaction / El entorno positivo en el ámbito laboral: el papel mediador del compromiso laboral entre la restauración y la satisfacción laboral

Abstract This paper postulates that positive features of the work organizational environment can exert significant positive effects on people’s working organizational life. The focus is on the relationship between the perceived restorative properties of the work environment and some social-psychological dimensions of the organization. A positive relationship between restorativeness and job satisfaction was expected, via Perceived Organizational Support and work engagement. A self-report questionnaire was filled in by 123 office workers employed in the municipality of an Italian town. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analyses showed a multivariate positive relationship between restorativeness, social support, work engagement and job satisfaction. Moreover, both a full mediation effect of work engagement between restorativeness and intrinsic job satisfaction and a partial mediating effect of work engagement between restorativeness and extrinsic job satisfaction were found. These results illustrate a positive psychological approach for improving employees’ satisfaction in the workplace.
The Optimum Number of Lawyers: A Reply to Epp

My interchange with Charles Epp began on the op-ed page of the Wall Street Journal on 9 July 1992.1 There, Epp claimed that "the BushQuayle assertion that U.S. lawyers hurt our economy is wrong, and the research on which it is based is fatally flawed. The principal intellectual foundation of the lawyers-as-parasites view is the work of University of Texas Finance Prof. Stephen Magee. " He was responding to a working paper I presented at the University of Wisconsin in February 19922 and a revision of it that will appear in my forthcoming book, The Invisible Foot and the Waste of Nations: Lawyers vs. The U.S. Economy.3 My study measured both the benefits and costs which the U.S. legal system confers on the U.S. economy. Using international data, I found that our legal system adds $1.8 trillion to the economy every year (one third of U.S. gross domestic product-GDP) but takes away $600 billion (just over 10%); that there is an optimum lawyer density in the world, which suggests that the United States has 40% too many lawyers; and that lawyer participation in U.S. politics advances their interests at the expense of the U.S. economy.
Urinary NTX results rarely alter the clinical management of patients with osteoporosis in the tertiary hospital

Aim: Urinary levels of cross‐linked N‐terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX) are used as a marker of bone resorption and are useful for monitoring response of patients treated with anti‐resorptive agents. We aimed to determine how urinary NTX results alter clinical decision making by physicians treating patients with osteoporosis in a tertiary hospital setting. Methods: We reviewed patient notes of all new NTX requests in 2002 and 2003 with at least one subsequent repeat measurement. Patients with a diagnosis of osteoporosis and both pre‐ and post‐treatment measurements of bone mineral density (BMD) and NTX were included. Urinary NTX was measured with the Osteomark enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. BMD of the hip and lumbar spine was measured using dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Results: A total of 357 patients had serial NTX requests during the time period. Sixty‐five of these patients had a diagnosis of osteoporosis. Out of 37 patients treated for osteoporosis who had complete data available, 29 patients had concordant results between BMD and NTX and eight patients had discordant results. Only one patient had treatment changed as a result of a lack of reduction in NTX following treatment. Thirteen patients had therapy altered. Common reasons for altering therapy were patient non‐compliance, side effects and failure of BMD to increase. Conclusions: Alteration to therapy in this patient population is mainly dictated by issues such as patient compliance, medication side effects and bone mineral density results rather than urinary NTX values.
The social distance perceptions of racial and ethnic groups by college students: A research note

There is growing concern in our society regarding the resurgence of racist movements. There has been increased media coverage of these activities and educators warn that racism is on the rise in our schools and on college campuses. This article examines the similarity of responses of college students of various racial and ethnic groups. The Social Distance Scale was administered to 415 undergraduate students. The research reveals that, overall, most college students would be willing to admit most racial/ethnic groups to their clubs as personal chums or to their streets as neighbors. Iranians were consistently given the greatest distance (to citizenship in my country) by all groups. Implications of this study purport that schools as agents of socialization can expose students to multicultural diversity within an academic setting.
Boys do not benefit from male teachers in their reading and mathematics skills: empirical evidence from 21 European Union and OECD countries

The prevalence of women in the teaching profession has been claimed by various scholars to be responsible for the low school performance among boys. Based on this claim there have been widespread calls for increasing the share of male teachers as a means of improving boys' school performance. There is, however, very little empirical evidence supporting the claim that boys do in fact benefit from being taught by male teachers. Drawing on data from the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, this paper examines the relationship between teacher gender and boys' and girls' respective school performance in a sample of 146,315 elementary school students from 21 countries. It finds that boys do not benefit from being taught by male teachers, neither in mathematics nor in reading. In some countries, however, girls seem to profit from being taught by female teachers.
Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the Mothers and Infants Cohort Study

Objectives. To estimate the hepatitis C virus (HCV) vertical transmission rate, the effect of potential risk factors, and the pattern of HCV antibody response and viremia in HCV-infected infants. Study Design. The Mothers and Infants Cohort Study enrolled both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive and HIV-seronegative pregnant women at five obstetric clinics in New York City in a prospective cohort study between January 1986 and January 1991. HCV-infected mothers and their 122 offspring were followed-up for a minimum of 12 months for evidence of HCV infection as determined by persistent HCV antibodies or detection of HCV RNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Comparisons among groups for categorical variables were performed using the Fisher's exact test. Results. Seven (6%; 95% confidence interval, 2%-11%) of the 122 infants were HCV-infected. There was a tendency for increased risk of transmission with maternal viral and obstetrical factors, such as coinfection with HIV (7% vs 4%), high HIV viral load (13% vs 6%), HCV viremia (8% vs 3%), vaginal delivery (6% vs 0%), and female gender of offspring (8% vs 3%), although none of the associations reached statistical significance. After loss of maternal antibody, HCV antibody seroconversion occurred at a mean age of 26 months in 3 HIV-coinfected infants compared with 7 months of age in 4 HCV-infected HIV-uninfected infants. Serial samples showed that HCV RNA persisted in 6 infants for at least 18 to 54 months. Conclusions. Our study is in accordance with other studies that have shown low overall HCV vertical transmission risk and a trend toward higher risk with maternal risk factors such as HIV-coinfection or HCV viremia. A delay in infant HCV antibody response may be associated with HIV coinfection although larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
An Alceibraic Approach to Discrete Short-time Fourier Transform Analysis An) Synthesis

An algebraic representation of the discrete shorttime Fourier transform (DSTFT) is presented for the case in which the analysis window length N equals the transform block size N. This representation allows the apphcation of algebraic tools for determining an optimal synthesis system which minimizes the mean square error between a given modified DSTFT (which is not necessarily a valid DSTFT sequence) and the DSTFT of the synthesized signal. If no modification is applied, the result is a unity analysis-synthesis system for any given time update R of the sliding analysis window (provided that R M). It is shown that the optimal synthesis system can be implemented by the well known weighted overlap-add (WOLA) method using an optimal synthesis window. The algebraic approach enables the extension of some recent results and the relaxation of a constraiot on the analysis window. The proposed approach is found also to have a potential for solving the synthesis problem for the more general case of N>M.
What is at Stake in Mathematical Proofs from Third-Century China?

The Argument To highlight speculative trends specific to the mathematical tradition that developed in China, the paper analyzes an excerpt of a third-century commentary on a mathematical classic, which arguably contains a proof. The paper shows that the following three tasks cannot be dissociated one from the other: (1) to discuss how the ancient text should be read; (2) to describe the practice of mathematical proof to which this text bears witness; (3) to bring to light connections between philosophy and mathematics that it demonstrates were established in China. To this end the paper defines its use of the word “proof” and outlines a program for an international history of mathematical proof. It describes the sense in which the text conveys a proof and shows how it simultaneously fulfills algorithmic ends, bringing to light a formal pattern that appears to be fundamental both for mathematics and for other domains of reality. The interest in transformations that mathematical writings demonstrate in China at that time seems to have been influenced by philosophical developments based on The Book of Changes (Yi-jing), which the excerpt quotes. This quotation within a mathematical context makes it possible to suggest an interpretation for a rather difficult philosophical statement.
Educational relationships and their impact on poverty

This paper explores the premise that children in poverty are disadvantaged in their potential to learn by the extent and quality of their social networks and educational relationships. The research examines the quality and sustainability of educational relationships between children and adults in out‐of‐school activities. We build a theoretical argument to suggest that children with a greater number of successful, formal and informal educational relationships stand a better chance of success in terms of on‐going learning and rewarding employment. The study probes how children act as agents in developing and maintaining educational relationships with adults and the constraints on the use of their own agency in negotiating more formal educational settings. It explores educational relationships out of school and compares and contrasts the educational relationships experienced by children in poverty with a matched sample of those in more affluent circumstances. In doing so, it illuminates the nature and scope of educational relationships in supporting children’s engagement with learning; identify perceived gaps in their experiences and capture their explanations of the cause. Learning how to develop and sustain relationships, how to work with others, make use of, and build on other’s expertise are vital in improving life chances and these are the skills much demanded by employers. This research contributes to the understanding of the relationships that support the learning of children in poverty and of the barriers that obstruct their development in school.
A Large and Deep Root System Underlies High Nitrogen-Use Efficiency in Maize Production

Excessive N fertilization results in low N-use efficiency (NUE) without any yield benefits and can have profound, long-term environmental consequences including soil acidification, N leaching and increased production of greenhouse gases. Improving NUE in crop production has been a longstanding, worldwide challenge. A crucial strategy to improve NUE is to enhance N uptake by roots. Taking maize as a model crop, we have compared root dry weight (RDW), root/shoot biomass ratio (R/S), and NUE of maize grown in the field in China and in western countries using data from 106 studies published since 1959. Detailed analysis revealed that the differences in the RDW and R/S of maize at silking in China and the western countries were not derived from variations in climate, geography, and stress factors. Instead, NUE was positively correlated with R/S and RDW; R/S and NUE of maize varieties grown in western countries were significantly greater than those grown in China. We then testified this conclusion by conducting field trials with representative maize hybrids in China (ZD958 and XY335) and the US (P32D79). We found that US P32D79 had a better root architecture for increased N uptake and removed more mineral N than Chinese cultivars from the 0-60 cm soil profile. Reported data and our field results demonstrate that a large and deep root, with an appropriate architecture and higher stress tolerance (higher plant density, drought and N deficiency), underlies high NUE in maize production. We recommend breeding for these traits to reduce the N-fertilizer use and thus N-leaching in maize production and paying more attention to increase tolerance to stresses in China.