Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Racial Socialization in African American Families: The Art of Balancing Intolerance and Survival

The climate of racial hostility in American society remains one of the most difficult obstacles for families of color to overcome. As African Americans and other families of color raise their children to become healthy, wealthy, and wise, many feel compelled to prepare them psychologically for survival in this climate. This article takes the stance that racial socialization is necessary to ameliorate the impact of racial hostilities and for African American children to achieve and develop positive self-images. Family therapists must understand not only how societal institutions (e.g., school) may adversely affect the psychological well-being of children and their parents, but also how to intervene.
What Did and Did not Cause Collapse of WTC Twin Towers in New York

Previous analysis of progressive collapse showed that gravity alone suffices to explain the overall collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers. However, it remains to be checked whether the recent allegations of controlled demolition have any scientific merit. The present analysis proves that they do not. The video record available for the first few seconds of collapse is shown to agree with the motion history calculated from the differential equation of progressive collapse but, despite uncertain values of some parameters, it is totally out of range of the free fall hypothesis, on which these allegations rest. It is shown that the observed size range (0.01 mm—0.1 mm) of the dust particles of pulverized concrete is consistent with the theory of comminution caused by impact, and that less than 10% of the total gravitational energy, converted to kinetic energy, sufficed to produce this dust (whereas more than 150 tons of TNT per tower would have to be installed, into many small holes drilled into concrete, to produce the same pulverization). The air ejected from the building by gravitational collapse must have attained, near the ground, the speed of almost 500 mph (or 223 m/s, or 803 km/h) on the average, and fluctuations must have reached the speed of sound. This explains the loud booms and wide spreading of pulverized concrete and other fragments, and shows that the lower margin of the dust cloud could not have coincided with the crushing front. The resisting upward forces due to pulverization and to ejection of air, dust and solid fragments, neglected in previous studies, are found to be indeed negligible during the first few seconds of collapse but not insignificant near the end of crush-down. The calculated crush-down duration is found to match a logical interpretation of seismic record, while the free fall duration grossly disagrees with this record.
Afterslip and aftershocks in the rate‐and‐state friction law

We study how a stress perturbation generated by a main shock affects a fault obeying the rate‐state friction law using a simple slider block system. Depending on the model parameters and on the initial stress, the fault exhibits aftershocks, slow earthquakes, or decaying afterslip. We found several regimes with slip rate decaying as a power law of time, with different characteristic times and exponents. The behavior of the rate‐state friction law is thus far more complex than described by the “steady state” approximation frequently used to fit afterslip data. The fault reaches steady state only at very large times, when slip rate has decreased to the tectonic loading rate. The complexity of the model makes it unrealistic to invert for the friction law parameters from afterslip data. We modeled afterslip measurements for three earthquakes using the complete rate‐and‐state law and found a huge variety of model parameters that can fit the data. In particular, it is impossible to distinguish the stable velocity‐strengthening regime (A > B) from the (potentially) unstable velocity‐weakening regime (A < B). Therefore, it is not necessary to involve small‐scale spatial or temporal fluctuations of friction parameters A or B in order to explain the transition between stable sliding and seismic slip. In addition to B/A and stiffness, the fault behavior is strongly controlled by stress levels following an event. Stress heterogeneity can thus explain part of the variety of postseismic behaviors observed in nature. Afterslip induces a progressive reloading of faults that are not slipping, which can trigger aftershocks. Using the relation between stress and seismicity derived from the rate‐and‐state friction law, we estimate the aftershock rate triggered by coseismic and postseismic slip. Aftershock rate does not simply scale with stress rate but exhibits different characteristic times and sometimes a different power law exponent. Afterslip is thus a possible candidate to explain observations of aftershock rate decaying as a power law of time with an Omori exponent that can be either smaller or larger than 1. Progressive unloading due to afterslip can also produce delayed seismic quiescence.
The N-myc Oncogene: Maximizing its Targets, Regulation, and Therapeutic Potential

N-myc (MYCN), a member of the Myc family of basic-helix–loop–helix–zipper (bHLHZ) transcription factors, is a central regulator of many vital cellular processes. As such, N-myc is well recognized for its classic oncogenic activity and association with human neuroblastoma. Amplification and overexpression of N-myc has been described in other tumor types, particularly those of neural origin and neuroendocrine tumors. This review outlines N-myc's contribution to normal development and oncogenic progression. In addition, it highlights relevant transcriptional targets and mechanisms of regulation. Finally, the clinical implications of N-Myc as a biomarker and potential as a target using novel therapeutic approaches are discussed. Mol Cancer Res; 12(6); 815–22. ©2014 AACR.
Liver Injury from Herbal, Dietary, and Weight Loss Supplements: a Review

Herbal and dietary supplement usage has increased steadily over the past several years in the United States. Among the non-bodybuilding herbal and dietary supplements, weight loss supplements were among the most common type of HDS implicated in liver injury. While drug induced liver injury is rare, its consequences are significant and on the rise. The purpose of this review is to highlight case reports of weight loss products such as Hydroxycut and OxyElite Pro as one form of HDS that have hepatotoxic potential and to characterize its clinical effects as well as pattern of liver injury. We also propose future strategies in the identification and study of potentially hepatotoxic compounds in an effort to outline a diagnostic approach for identifying any drug induced liver injury.
Non-negative matrix factorization with linear constraints for single-channel speech enhancement

This paper investigates a non-negative matrix factorization (NMF)-based approach to the semi-supervised single-channel speech enhancement problem where only non-stationary additive noise signals are given. The proposed method relies on sinusoidal model of speech production which is integrated inside NMF framework using linear constraints on dictionary atoms. This method is further developed to regularize harmonic amplitudes. Simple multiplicative algorithms are presented. The experimental evaluation was made on TIMIT corpus mixed with various types of noise. It has been shown that the proposed method outperforms some of the state-of-the-art noise suppression techniques in terms of signal-to-noise ratio.
Relationships Between College-level Wind Instrumentalists’ Achievement in Intonation Perception and Performance

Undergraduate wind instrument majors’ (N = 60) perceptual and performance intonation achievement were measured and compared on four separate tasks. Paired tasks between perception and performance and between instrumental and vocal performances were included. Multiple tuning conditions (equal temperament, Pythagorean, and just intonation) were compared on both perceptual and performance tasks. No significant correlations were found between any of the four tasks. The influence of tuning condition was mixed with some advantage for equal temperament for performance. Vocal performances were significantly less accurate than instrumental performances. Recommendations for future research and implications for teaching are discussed.
Significantly reducing the number of frequency channels required for wireless mesh networks using beamforming

In a classical multi-radio multi-channel Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) architecture, mesh nodes use omni-directional antennas. Due to the circular radiation pattern of such antennas, when a mesh node communicates with its neighbor on a certain frequency channel, other mesh nodes within its range must remain silent. Directional antennas have been proposed as a way to improve spatial reuse. Since these antennas are non-steerable, they are not suitable for a dynamic WMN. In this paper, we address the problem of co-channel interference in a dynamic WMN environment by using beamforming based on utilizing the multiple omni-directional antennas of a multi-radio mesh node in the form of a linear antenna array. Our novel Linear Array Beamforming-based Channel Assignment method reduces the number of frequency channels required (NCR) for interference-free communication among the mesh nodes. It significantly outperforms the classical omni-directional antenna pattern-based channel assignment approach in terms of NCR for all node-degrees.
The Roles of Self-Affirmation and Introspection in Correction for Automatic Prejudice

Egalitarian-oriented Whites tend to employ the strategy of “liking everyone,” as opposed to correcting for their automatic prejudices, as a means of avoiding prejudiced reactions (Zabel & Olson, 2014). Congruent with motivational theoretical perspectives regarding prejudice (i.e., Aversive Racism; Gaertner & Dovidio, 1986), I contend that a lack of introspection into one’s automatic prejudices due to a self-image threat may be driving this tendency. In the experiment I report here, I assessed the automatic racial attitudes of egalitarian(high Concern) and conflict avoidance-motivated (high Restraint) Whites. Then, participants were randomly assigned to introspect (or not) on their automatic racial biases, as well as to self-affirm (or not) using a values importance task. Following, participants completed an impression formation task in which they rated Black and White targets. Results indicated that egalitarian-oriented (high Concern) individuals with proWhite automatically-activated attitudes corrected for their prejudices by providing greater pro-Black trait ratings when self-affirmation preceded racial attitude introspection. This pattern of prejudice correction did not occur among high Concern individuals who introspected on their racial attitudes prior to being self-affirmed, or did not introspect or self-affirm at all. Findings are congruent with previous research attesting to the utility of self-affirmation in increasing attention to otherwise self-threatening information, and provide insights as to how the strategies employed by aversive racists and their negative implications may be reduced.
Learning for more just relationships : Narratives of transformation in white settlers

AB): What is the story about? (core message)  Representative or evocative phrases selected as an aide to memory and for purposes of story reconstruction.  Here I used my own words to describe each narrative component Orientation (OR): Who (people); Where (place); When (time); Intentions or purposes Complicating Action (CA): What happened, the sequence of events, cause and effect relationships Evaluation (EV): How does the narrator feel or what does the narrator say about this event? Resolution (RE): So what? What was the significance of this event? What are the “consequences of the event for human needs and desires” (Labov & Waletzky, 1997, p. 5)? Coda (CO): So what happened next? How did this event provide a bridge or link to other events? 4.4. 3.3 Interrogating the dynamics in settler ally narratives. Earlier in this chapter, I argued that ally counter-stories are positive examples of settler interactions with Aboriginal Peoples. Critical race theorist Delgado (1989), however, has questioned the validity of stories people of privilege tell, observing that these may be little more than “stock explanations that construct reality in ways favorable to [the powerful]” (p. 2437). I 146 found questions developed for educators by Angelides (2001) effective in helping me look beneath the surface of events, challenging some of my presumptions, biases, and beliefs. When we look at critical events, Angelides said, we need to ask: 1. Whose interests are served or denied by the actions of these critical incidents? 2. What conditions sustain and preserve these actions? 3. What power relationships between the headteacher, teachers, pupils, and parents are expressed in them? and 4. What structural, organizational, and cultural factors are likely to prevent teachers and pupils from engaging in alternative ways? (p. 436) The only modification I made to these questions was to substitute “Aboriginal Peoples and settlers” for “headteacher, teachers, pupils, and parents. ” In addition, I have been mindful of two guiding principles for this work: first, the need to “do no harm” to Aboriginal Peoples and second, to find ways to ensure that narratives contained in this inquiry are trustworthy. 4.5 Ethical Considerations: Working With Risky Stories So you have to be careful with the stories you tell. And you have to watch out for the stories that you are told. (T. King, 2003, p. 10) Qualitative research poses particular challenges when it comes to ensuring that data and interpretations are correct and that, under similar circumstances, similar results would be obtained (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000, pp. 31-32; Riessman, 1993, pp. 21-23). Even when research problems are shared ones, care must be taken to interrogate researcher positioning and ensure that the research data and interpretations are as trustworthy, credible, dependable, and confirmable as possible. L. Davis (2004) has asserted that research which involves Aboriginal
Effects of rate of feedback and reinforcement on novel responding

Effects of rate of feedback and reinforcement on novel responding Vennessa L. Walker Ten middle-school students were assigned to receive feedback and token reinforcement either every 1 min (HR) or every 15 min (LR). Subjects used a computer program to learn to perform 5 basic algebra skills at high rates and high accuracy. Subjects were yoked with a partner for practice so that each member of the pair completed the same number of items per skill. Subjects were provided with cumulative review worksheets and then were tested for distraction, adduction, and retention. Results suggest that HR facilitates faster acquisition of skills as well as better performance on cumulative reviews, distraction, and retention tests. Subjects were generally unable to complete the adduction items, suggesting that the current procedures may be inadequate for producing generalization of skills. Feedback and reinforcement iii Acknowledgments First, I would like to thank the members of my committee for their time and insight: Andy Lattal, Mike Perone, Steve Branstetter, Laura Pyzdrowski, and Phil Chase. I also would like to thank my research assistant, Lauren Cook, for her many hours of dedication to this project. Additionally, I would like to thank my current student assistant, Jennifer Schwartzbeck, for her help with the IOA task. I especially would like to recognize my chair, advisor, and mentor, Phil Chase, for whom I have the utmost respect and admiration. This dissertation is a product of, and a testament to, his steady guidance, patience, and insight. I also would like to thank my Verbal Behavior labmates for 6 wonderful years of intellectual, professional, and personal development and support. Special thanks also to Harold Lobo and Chris Rice, who were invaluable resources during the arduous programming process. This dissertation would never have been accomplished without the unwavering support of my family – Dad, Mom, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews – thank you for your sacrifices and for believing in me. I’m glad I can finally answer the question, “When are you done? ” I also never would have made it through without my surrogate family – Misty, Christy, Libby, Harold, Dave – you carried me through some of my most difficult times and kept my faith strong. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Finally, I dedicate this dissertation to my son, Caleb, who has given my life joy and meaning beyond any I thought possible. I thought it would be a miracle to finish this dissertation, but the true miracle in my life came on December 14, 2007. I love you so much. Feedback and reinforcement iv Table of
Stochastic Optimization with Variance Reduction for Infinite Datasets with Finite Sum Structure

Stochastic optimization algorithms with variance reduction have proven successful for minimizing large finite sums of functions. Unfortunately, these techniques are unable to deal with stochastic perturbations of input data, induced for example by data augmentation. In such cases, the objective is no longer a finite sum, and the main candidate for optimization is the stochastic gradient descent method (SGD). In this paper, we introduce a variance reduction approach for these settings when the objective is composite and strongly convex. The convergence rate outperforms SGD with a typically much smaller constant factor, which depends on the variance of gradient estimates only due to perturbations on a single example.
Job subsidies and cuts in employers' social security contributions: The verdict of empirical evaluation studies

In many European countries and elsewhere, governments rely on employment subsidies and cuts in employers’ social security contributions to improve the employment prospects of the long-term unemployed and other vulnerable groups in the labour market. Policy makers often justify this strategy by referring to theoretical analyses and simulations which suggest that such measures have strong positive effects on the employment and mobility chances of beneficiaries. This paper brings together findings from recent empirical evaluation studies which have tried to gauge the actual effectiveness of such measures. Although the paper includes findings from studies which look at nonor broadly targeted measures, the emphasis is on measures which are aimed at stimulating the recruitment of long-term unemployed persons and other vulnerable groups in the labour market. The most striking overall finding is that the net employment effects of such measures generally turn out to be substantially lower than what most theoretical models and simulations predict, even under relatively pessimistic assumptions. This finding is particularly striking because of its consistency across studies. This appears mainly due to larger than expected deadweight losses and, to a lesser extent, substitution effects. The second striking finding is that there is little evidence that targeted subsidies have a beneficial effect on the later careers of beneficiaries. A period of subsidised employment can even have a negative impact on beneficiaries’ future employment prospects. JEL Classification J31, J23
Corticospinal Facilitation during Observation of Graspable Objects: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

In 1979, Gibson first advanced the idea that the sight of graspable objects automatically activates in the observer the repertoire of actions necessary to interact with them, even in the absence of any intention to act (“affordance effect”). The neurophysiological substrate of this effect was later identified in a class of bimodal neurons, the so-called "canonical" neurons, located within monkey premotor cortex. In humans, even if different behavioral studies supported the existence of affordance effect, neurophysiological investigations exploring its neural substrates showed contradictory results. Here, by means of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), we explored the time-course of the “affordance effect” elicited by the observation of everyday-life graspable objects on motor cortex of resting observers. We recorded motor evoked potentials (MEP) from three intrinsic hand muscles (two "synergic" for grasping, OP and FDI and one "neutral", ADM). We found that objects’ vision determined an increased excitability at 120 milliseconds after their presentation. Moreover, this modulation was proved to be specific to the cortical representations of synergic muscles. From an evolutionary perspective, this timing perfectly fits with a fast recruitment of the motor system aimed at rapidly and accurately choosing the appropriate motor plans in a competitive environment filled with different opportunities.
Ultrasound detection of placental insufficiency in women with ‘unexplained’ abnormal maternal serum screening results

Serious placental insufficiency results in perinatal death or preterm birth from ischemic‐thrombotic pathology, a process which has its origins in placental maldevelopment in the first trimester. A proportion of at‐risk pregnancies may be identified from abnormalities in first or second trimester serum screening data, uterine artery Doppler waveforms or placental shape and texture at the time of the 18–20‐week anatomical examination. In combination, these tests may be capable of recognizing a subset of at‐risk pregnancies with 50% positive predictive values. Early recognition before fetal viability affords opportunities to direct women to regional perinatal care centres for enhanced maternal–fetal surveillance, corticosteroids to enhance fetal lung maturation, prophylactic measures to prevent pre‐eclampsia and optimal decision making around the time of delivery. The creation of regional screening programs to use screening data with a placental focus is likely to be cost‐effective, because existing patterns of care are utilized. More importantly, this strategy can direct women to participate in clinical research programs designed to reduce morbidity and mortality from this common group of conditions.
A Mouse Model for Juvenile Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent antitumor agent. DOX can also induce cardiotoxicity, and high cumulative doses are associated with recalcitrant heart failure. Children are particularly sensitive to DOX-induced heart failure. The ability to genetically modify mice makes them an ideal experimental system to study the molecular basis of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. However, most mouse DOX studies rely on acute drug administration in adult animals, which typically are analyzed within 1 wk. Here, we describe a juvenile mouse model of chronic DOX-induced cardiac dysfunction. DOX treatment was initiated at 2 wk of age and continued for a period of 5 wk (25 mg/kg cumulative dose). This resulted in a decline in cardiac systolic function, which was accompanied by marked atrophy of the heart, low levels of cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and decreased growth velocity. Other animals were allowed to recover for 13 wk after the final DOX injection. Cardiac systolic function improved during this recovery period but remained depressed compared with the saline injected controls, despite the reversal of cardiac atrophy. Interestingly, increased levels of cardiomyocyte apoptosis and concomitant myocardial fibrosis were observed after DOX withdrawal. These data suggest that different mechanisms contribute to cardiac dysfunction during the treatment and recovery phases.
Objective and subjective evaluation MPEG layer III perceived quality

Artefacts due to MPEG layer III (MP3) coding are analyzed: non uniform quantization noise, hybrid filter bank aliasing, MDCT pre- and post-echoes. Both objective and subjective evaluation of several MP3 decoded audio files are presented. Finally, it is shown how to predict the subjective perceived quality based on objective measures.