Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Black catalyst to tweet: the role of discrimination experience, group identification, and racial agency in Black Americans’ instrumental use of Twitter

ABSTRACT The strong presence of Blacks on Twitter has attracted scholarly attention, but few empirical studies have provided a clear, theory-driven answer to the question of how Blacks use Twitter. Drawing on the uses and gratifications framework and the rejection-identification model, we examined how discrimination experience, group identification, and racial agency influence Black Americans’ instrumental use of Twitter. An online survey conducted with a national adult sample of 323 Black American Twitter users showed that the experience of discrimination in everyday settings indirectly predicted three types of instrumental use of Twitter (information seeking, opinion expression, and social networking) through serial mediation of group identification and racial agency. The direct effects of discrimination experience on the three types of instrumental use were not significant, nor were the indirect effects of discrimination experience on instrumental use only through group identification and only through racial agency. These results indicate that Black Americans’ goal-driven, purposeful use of Twitter may be understood as a form of problem-focused coping with discrimination experience. The current findings also suggest that Black users’ identification with their racial group and desire to make a positive difference in the Black community constitute a pivotal mechanism underlying their instrumental use of Twitter.
An analysis of infrared emission spectra from the regions near the Galactic Centre

We present consistent modelling of line and continuum infrared (IR) spectra in the region close to the Galactic Centre. The models account for the coupled effect of shocks and photoionization from an external source. The results show that the shock velocities range between ∼65 and 80 km s ―1 and the pre-shock densities between 1 cm ―3 in the interstellar medium (ISM) to 200 cm ―3 in the filamentary structures. The pre-shock magnetic field increases from 5 × 10 ―6 G in the surrounding ISM to ∼8 × 10 ―5 G in the arched filaments. The stellar temperatures are ∼38 000 K in the Quintuplet cluster and ∼27 000 K in the Arches Cluster. The ionization parameter is relatively low ( 0.01 near the Arches Cluster. Depletion from the gaseous phase of Si is found throughout the whole observed region, indicating the presence of silicate dust. Grains including iron are concentrated throughout the arched filaments. The modelling of the continuum spectral energy distribution in the IR range indicates that a component of dust at temperatures of ∼100― 200 K is present in the central region of the Galaxy. Radio emission appears to be thermal bremsstrahlung in the E2―W1 filaments crossing strip; however, a synchrotron component is not excluded. More data are necessary to resolve these questions.
Multiobjective Optimal Design of Photovoltaic Synchronous Boost Converters Assessing Efficiency, Reliability, and Cost Savings

Optimal design of switching converters for the integration and optimal exploitation of renewable energy sources (RES) represents a crucial issue often debated in the recent power electronics literature. The design problem required to carry out a multiobjective optimization characterized by simultaneous conflicting objectives, such as efficiency, reliability, and price, where the best compromise solution should be found by the decision maker among Pareto-optimal solutions. In this paper, a novel design method for distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT) synchronous boost converter is proposed. The method is based on nondominated sorting genetic algorithm with the aim to obtain the best synchronous rectification (SR) boost topology while considering different targets such as converter efficiency and reliability maximization, as well as converter price minimization. New weighted indices are also proposed for a more realistic characterization of the devices.
Reproducibility and relative validity of a food-frequency questionnaire for French-speaking Swiss adults

Background Due to the distinct cultural and language differences that exist in Switzerland, there is little information on the dietary intake among the general Swiss population. Adequately assessing dietary intake is thus paramount if nutritional epidemiological studies are to be conducted. Objective To assess the reproducibility and validity of a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) developed for French-speaking Swiss adults. Design A total of 23 men and 17 women (43.1±2.0 years) filled out one FFQ and completed one 24-hour dietary recall at baseline and 1 month afterward. Results Crude Pearson's correlation coefficients between the first and the second FFQ ranged from 0.58 to 0.90, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged between 0.53 and 0.92. Lin's concordance coefficients ranged between 0.55 and 0.87. Over 80% of participants were classified in the same or adjacent tertile using each FFQ. Macronutrient intakes estimated by both FFQs were significantly higher than those estimated from the 24-hour recall for protein and water, while no significant differences were found for energy, carbohydrate, fats (five groups), and alcohol. De-attenuated Pearson's correlation coefficients between the 24-hour recall and the first FFQ ranged between 0.31 and 0.49, while for the second FFQ the values ranged between 0.38 and 0.59. Over 40 and 95% of participants fell into the same or the adjacent energy and nutrient tertiles, respectively, using the FFQs and the 24-hour recall. Conclusions This FFQ shows good reproducibility and can be used determining macronutrient intake in a French-speaking Swiss population in an epidemiological setting.
Providing Privacy through Plausibly Deniable Search

Query-based web search is an integral part of many people’s daily activities. Most do not realize that their search history can be used to identify them (and their interests). In July 2006, AOL released an anonymized search query log of some 600K randomly selected users. While valuable as a research tool, the anonymization was insufficient: individuals were identified from the contents of the queries alone [2]. Government requests for such logs increases the concern. To address this problem, we propose a client-centered approach of plausibly deniable search. Each user query is substituted with a standard, closely-related query intended to fetch the desired results. In addition, a set of k-1 cover queries are issued; these have characteristics similar to the standard query but on unrelated topics. The system ensures that any of these k queries will produce the same set of k queries, giving k possible topics the user could have been searching for. We use a Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) based approach to generate queries, and evaluate on the DMOZ [10] webpage collection to show effectiveness of the proposed approach.
The impact of social networks and social support on mental disorders and mortality

Introduccion: Hay pruebas contradictorias sobre el rol de las relaciones sociales en la salud y el bienestar y mas investigacion es necesaria para hacer frente a la falta de informacion. El objetivo de este proyecto es categorizar los indicadores clave identificados en relacion con la salud y el bienestar, y determinar el impacto de este tipo de indicadores en la salud mental y mortalidad. Metodos: Este proyecto incluira tres articulos de investigacion: El articulo I es una revision de la literatura que investiga la evidencia sobre asociaciones entre las relaciones sociales y la depresion en la poblacion general. El articulo II es un trabajo de investigacion original con el objetivo de examinar como el tipo de red social identificada al inicio del estudio predice la mortalidad entre los adultos mayores en los paises en desarrollo. El articulo III es un trabajo de investigacion original que consiste en la investigacion de las asociaciones de las interacciones sociales positivas y negativas y las redes sociales con la depresion, la ansiedad y la ideacion suicida entre los adultos mayores irlandeses con una relacion sentimental. Resultados: I) Se identificaron asociaciones entre la depresion y un numero de indicadores claves de apoyo social y redes sociales. En general, los estudios encontraron que el apoyo social percibido y tener redes sociales grandes y diversas tenian efectos protectores sobre la depresion en la poblacion general. II) Para adultos mayores procedentes de paises en vias desarrollo, el tiempo de supervivencia se reduce significativamente en individuos con redes sociales limitadas. III) En una muestra irlandesa de adultos mayores con una relacion sentimental, encontramos que una peor calidad de la relacion con la pareja se relacionaba positivamente con depresion, ansiedad e ideacion suicida, y que redes sociales limitadas se asociaban positivamente con depresion. Conclusion: Se hacen una serie de recomendaciones para hacer una evaluacion mas completa sobre el papel de las redes sociales de apoyo en relacion con la salud mental en el futuro. Ademas, estar incluido en relaciones sociales de apoyo de calidad se asocia negativamente con mortalidad y con trastornos mentales entre los adultos mayores en la poblacion general. La asistencia social y las intervenciones de salud mental publica podrian ser mejoradas mediante la adaptacion de las intervenciones para aumentar la cantidad y calidad de las redes de apoyo social con el fin de promover la salud mental y el estado de salud general de la poblacion. Se discuten las implicaciones para la investigacion en salud, las politicas sanitarias y sociales, y direcciones futuras.
International Journal of Women's Health Dovepress Transvaginal Sonographic Evaluation at Different Menstrual Cycle Phases in Diagnosis of Uterine Lesions

Purpose: Intrauterine lesions (IULs) are a common finding in women of reproductive age, particularly infertile women. Transvaginal sonography (TVS) is a popular tool for IUL detection, but there are conflicting data with respect to its accuracy. Methods: Five hundred and six women were enrolled into the study. Of these, 496 underwent hysterosalpingography and subsequent TVS six different times during the course of their men-strual cycle. If a lesion was detected, it was further evaluated by sonohysterography (SHG) and hysteroscopy. Results: Of 496 women, 41 were shown to have IULs by TVS and those lesions were confirmed in 39 by SHG and hysteroscopy. All 39 lesions were detectable during the ovulatory and early luteal phase (days 16–19) of the menstrual cycle. Accuracy of TVS during different phases was largely dependent on the size of the lesion. TVS falsely detected two lesions and missed fine adhesions in two patients. Conclusion: Accuracy of TVS in detection of IULs is highly dependent on the menstrual cycle phase, with the ovulatory and early luteal phase being the optimal time for this examination.
Experimental Auction Procedure: Impact on Valuation of Quality Differentiated Goods

Despite increased use of experimental auctions, a myriad of different procedures are being employed without formal consideration of how the procedures might affect results. This study investigates the effect of several procedural issues on valuation estimates from experimental auctions. Results indicate the second price auction generates higher valuations than English, Becker—DeGroot—Marschak (BDM), and random nth price auctions, especially in latter bidding rounds, and that random nth price auction yields lower valuations than English and BDM auctions. We find that endowing subjects with a good prior to eliciting bids can have an impact on valuations, but the effect varies across auction mechanism. Copyright 2004, Oxford University Press.
Cohesion and Coherence in Children's Written English: Immersion and English-Only Classes.

This study investigates the nature of cohesion, coherence, content, and grammar emergent in children 's essays, with a greater emphasis given to the understanding of cohesion and coherence. Conceptual definitions of these constructs are summarized based on prior research. The measurement of these constructs is operationalized into a picture-based narrative writing task for elicitation and scoring criteria for quantification. 192 first and second graders from an immersion program and English-only classes participated in the study. The analysis uses percentages, correlations, multiple regression, and qualitative analyses. Main findings include the following: (a) the measurement of cohesion and coherence can be operationalized; (b) referential and lexical cohesion correlate highly with the overall writing quality defined as the sum of the ratings of coherence, content, and grammar; (c) ellipses and substitution show a weak correlation with the overall writing quality; (d) lexical and referential cohesion are significant predictors of coherence while other types of cohesion are not; (e) dominant reference types are pronominal forms and proper nouns, and prominent types of conjunctive relation are temporal and additive; and (f) the most common error in cohesion is inaccurate reference. The substance and method of this study can provide a foundation for investigating subsequent topics with latent variables and different linguistic backgrounds and grade levels.
Effects of alcohol on dating anxiety and on post-event processing

Background: Increased comorbidity between social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder is often explained by the self-medication hypothesis, claiming that alcohol is consumed because of its negatively reinforcing quality. However, findings looking at the anxiety reduction using alcohol in formal speech situations are inconsistent. Furthermore, effects of alcohol on post-event processing have not yet been investigated, but may also motivate alcohol use in social situations. Objectives: Investigation of the effects of alcohol on anxiety within and after an informal social situation as well as on post-event processing. Methods: 122 participants (61 high socially anxious) joined a blind date after either drinking cranberry juice, placebo or alcohol, followed by a standardized social feedback. Self-reported anxiety was assessed directly after and one day after the blind date. Memory for feedback was assessed five minutes after and the day after the date. Results: Alcohol reduces anxiety within the social situation, for both high and normal socially anxious participants. There is also a trend to remember the social feedback more positively under the influence of alcohol, reflecting reduced negatively biased post-event processing. Limitations: Participants were not suffering from an alcohol use disorder and were not diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. Conclusions: Self-medication is assumed to work effectively within an informal social situation. Effects on post-event processing must further be assessed.
The Protein Kinase CK2 Mediates Cross-Talk between Auxin- and Salicylic Acid-Signaling Pathways in the Regulation of PINOID Transcription

The protein kinase CK2 is a ubiquitous and highly conserved enzyme, the activity of which is vital for eukaryotic cells. We recently demonstrated that CK2 modulates salicylic acid (SA) homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana, and that functional interplay between CK2 and SA sustains transcriptional expression of PIN-FORMED (PIN) genes. In this work, we show that CK2 also plays a key role in the transcriptional regulation of PINOID (PID), an AGC protein kinase that modulates the apical/basal localization of auxin-efflux transporters. We show that PID transcription is up-regulated by auxin and by SA and that CK2 is involved in both pathways. On the one hand, CK2 activity is required for proteosome-dependent degradation of AXR3, a member of the AUX/IAA family of auxin transcriptional repressors that must be degraded to activate auxin-responsive gene expression. On the other hand, the role of CK2 in SA homeostasis and, indirectly, in SA-driven PID transcription, was confirmed by using Arabidopsis NahG transgenic plants, which cannot accumulate SA. In conclusion, our results evidence a role for CK2 as a functional link in the negative cross-talk between auxin- and SA-signaling.
Sorting Guilty Minds

Because punishable guilt requires that bad thoughts accompany bad acts, the Model Penal Code (MPC) typically requires that jurors infer the past mental state of a criminal defendant. More specifically, jurors must sort that mental state into one of four specific categories - purposeful, knowing, reckless, or negligent - which in turn defines the nature of the crime and the extent of the punishment. The MPC therefore assumes that ordinary people naturally sort mental states into these four categories with a high degree of accuracy, or at least can reliably do so when properly instructed. It also assumes that ordinary people will order these categories of mental state, by increasing amount of punishment, in the same severity hierarchy that the MPC prescribes. The MPC, now turning 50 years old, has previously escaped the scrutiny of comprehensive empirical research on these assumptions underlying its culpability architecture. Our new empirical studies, reported here, find that most of the mens rea assumptions embedded in the MPC are reasonably accurate as a behavioral matter. Even without the aid of the MPC definitions, subjects were able to regularly and accurately distinguish among purposeful, negligent, and blameless conduct. Nevertheless, our subjects failed to distinguish reliably between knowing and reckless conduct. This failure can have significant sentencing consequences in some types of crimes, especially homicide.
Ethnic differences in consultation rates in urban general practice.

OBJECTIVE--To determine the patterns of consultations with the general practitioner among different ethnic groups and the outcome of these consultations. DESIGN--Retrospective analysis of data from one urban group general practice collected during 1979-81 as part of a research project in seven practices. SETTING--Group general practice in the London borough of Brent with a list size of 10,877 patients in July 1980. SUBJECTS--Patients registered with the practice during the 23 months to April 1981 who accounted for 67,197 consultations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Ethnic state, sex and social class distribution, and diagnosis of patients consulting and frequency of consultations analysed as standardised consultation ratios and standardised patient consultation ratios. RESULTS--Compared with other ethnic groups male Asians (that is, including those born in Britain and those originating from the Indian subcontinent and east Africa) had a substantially increased standardised patient consultation ratio. Consultation rates for mental disorders--in particular, anxiety and depression--were reduced in all groups of immigrant descent. West Indians consulted more frequently for hypertension and asthma, and their children less frequently with otitis media. Asians consulted more frequently with upper respiratory tract infections and non-specific symptoms. Native British patients were more likely to leave the surgery with a follow up appointment, prescription, or certificate. CONCLUSION--Notwithstanding the limitations of this study, ethnic differences in consultation rates were apparent. These differences require further investigation if the needs of minority ethnic groups are not to be overlooked.
Critical variables that influence students to study tertiary mathematics : using a pilot study to empower novice researchers

A pilot study was conducted as part of a project designed (i) to identify critical variables that influence students' decisions to study tertiary mathematics and (ii) to provide a fuller understanding of factors influencing both participation and performance in tertiary mathematics. A group of 54 volunteer students following the Science Foundation Year Programme at the University of Transkei were administered a questionnaire, 10 agreeing to be interviewed. Significant gender differences were found in students' beliefs about tertiary mathematics, while the main influences on participation and performance in mathematics were the students' own decisions to study the subject, their preference of mathematics and mathematics being a prerequisite for other courses. Running concurrently within the research project were coordinated activities that enabled each member of the research team to engage directly in all aspects of the research process through hands-on participation. This article reports on the major findings of the pilot study as indicators for the main investigation, reflects on the processes the novice researchers were engaged in and highlights the synergistic benefits of these research capacity development activities.
Bidirectional broadcasting by using multi-edge type LDPC convolutional codes

In this paper we propose multi-edge type (MET) LDPC convolutional codes for the bidirectional broadcast channel with common message (BBC-CM). It describes a two-user broadcast channel in which different subsets of the broadcasted messages are a priori known at the receivers. This situation occurs, e.g., in the second transmission phase of a bidirectional relaying protocol. In the proposed scheme, the transmitter broadcasts codewords of an MET LDPC convolutional code. Each user tries then to recover the unknown messages by decoding a two-edge type code which is embedded in the MET code. We prove for each user that the two-edge type LDPC convolutional code has the same properties as a standard LDPC convolutional code, and therefore it is capacity achieving for the binary erasure channel (BEC) and the general binary memoryless symmetric (BMS) channel. Meanwhile, we show that the capacity region of the BBC-CM is achieved. Numerical results with finite node degrees show that the achievable rates approach the channel capacities in both BECs and BI-AWGN channels.
Longitudinal analyses of chest radiographs from the European Carbon Black Respiratory Morbidity Study

High levels of exposure to carbon black have been linked with an increased prevalence of chest radiograph abnormalities. However, it is unclear to what extent current levels of exposure in the carbon black manufacturing industry are associated with new cases of and progression in small opacities. Longitudinal analyses were carried out on data from workers in the European carbon black manufacturing industry who provided three full-size chest radiographs sequentially between 1987–1995. All chest radiographs were independently read by three experienced readers according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) classification. After exclusion of participants with previous lung diseases or injuries, females, unreadable chest radiographs and from factories with a low participation rate, data from 675 workers were available for the longitudinal analyses. An association was observed between cumulative carbon black exposure and new cases of chest radiograph abnormalities (ILO category ≥1/0) and progression in small opacities. These associations were mainly related to changes in chest radiographs from workers at one factory. A large percentage of workers with chest radiograph abnormalities reversed to normal chest films; however, after adjusting for other factors, this was not associated with levels of exposure to carbon black dust. In conclusion, the results show that exposure to carbon black is associated with increased risk of chest radiographic abnormalities, which may be reversible after reduction or cessation of exposure.