Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Druze high schools in Israel in shaping students’ identity and citizenship

This study investigated how two Israeli Druze high schools shape the identity and citizenship of adolescents through curriculum, teaching, discourse, social activities and national ceremonies. Data were collected through interviews with teachers, the two school principals, policymakers for Druze education in the Ministry of Education, and students, as well as through observations and document analysis. The research found that the Israeli Druze school system plays a significant role in shaping students’ identity and citizenship in the difficult Israeli context, developing adolescents who are firmly rooted in both Druze and Israeli identity. Four central mechanisms were found to infuse the schools in order to accomplish these goals. These were characterized as multi-faceted values education, multi-faceted development of students’ identity and citizenship, meaningful learning and the community good. The commitment of Druze educators to building strong Druze-Israeli identity in their students was seen to spring from Druze religious beliefs and from the unique position of the Druze among other Arab groups in Israel.
Adolescent Decision Making

This study examined the impact of mood, age, and gender on decision processes of adolescents and adults. A total of 161 7th through 12th graders and adults completed a computer-administered decision task (choosing a part-time job). Each job varied on eight categories of information. Positive, neutral, and negative moods were induced; participants then used the computer to review information about the jobs. The computer recorded the amount of time spent viewing each piece of information, categories that were discarded, and the sequence of these views. Type of information processing (careful vs. superficial) was affected by mood, but only for females, who discarded more information and took longer to decide in negative vs. positive or neutral moods. Age affected participants’ estimates of the probability of obtaining their desired job and predecision search strategy: Junior high females were more pessimistic about their chances, and adults used more sophisticated decision strategies.
Slice-based parallelization in HEVC encoding: Realizing the potential through efficient load balancing

The new video coding standard HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) offers the desired compression performance in the era of HDTV and UHDTV, as it achieves nearly 50% bit rate saving compared to H.264/AVC. To leverage the involved computational overhead, HEVC offers three parallelization potentials namely: wavefront parallelization, tile-based and slice-based. In this paper we study slice-based parallelization of HEVC using OpenMP on the encoding part. In particular we delve on the problem of proper slice sizing to reduce load imbalances among threads. Capitalizing on existing ideas for H.264/AVC we develop a fast dynamic approach to decide on load distribution and compare it against an alternative in the HEVC literature. Through experiments with commonly used video sequences, we highlight the merits and drawbacks of the tested heuristics. We then improve upon them for the case of Low-Delay by exploiting GOP structure. The resulting algorithm is shown to clearly outperform its counterparts achieving less than 10% load imbalance in many cases.
Prevalence & correlates of tobacco use among adolescents in Kerala, India

Background & objectives: Most tobacco users who initiate its use during adolescence are likely to continue the use into adulthood and contribute to the 90 per cent of premature deaths among tobacco users. In this context the prevalence, patterns and correlates of tobacco use were studied among adolescent school students in Kerala, India. Methods: Total 7560 students from classes 8, 10 and 12, within the age group of 12-19 yr, across 73 schools in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India, selected by cluster random sampling, completed a self-administered questionnaire incorporating standardized instruments. Results: Of the 7350 valid questionnaires, the overall lifetime prevalence of tobacco use was 6.9 per cent (12.5% males and 1.2% females). The prevalence of tobacco use increased from 3.1 per cent at 12-13 yr to 15.1 per cent at 18-19 yr. The mean age of onset of tobacco use was 14.0±2.2 yr. The prevalence was higher among students from urban backgrounds, lower socio-economic status and those with part-time jobs. Tobacco users had significantly higher rates of use of alcohol (67.8 vs. 11%) and illicit drugs (33 vs. 6.1%). They had poorer academic performance (24.7 vs. 9.1%), more severe psychological distress (10.8 vs. 4.5%), suicidal attempts (10.2 vs. 3.5%), higher scores of ratings of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (8.3 vs. 2.5%) and history of sexual abuse (12.5 vs. 3.8%). Interpretation & conclusions: The prevalence of tobacco use in adolescents reported in this study was relatively lower than those reported from other Indian States. However, it correlates with multiple negative outcomes suggesting a need to promote specific interventions to prevent adolescent tobacco use.
Identification of ages and determination of paeoniflorin in roots of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. From four producing areas based on growth rings

Growth rings were used to determine the root age of medicinal Paeonia lactiflora from four producing areas, and their corresponding paeoniflorin content were measured based on the identification of ages. Different P. lactiflora root samples of different ages were collected from the four major growing areas in China: Bozhou, Anhui Province; Pan'an, Zhejiang Province; Zhongjiang, Sichuan Province; and Heze, Shandong Province. The relationship between the number of growth rings and age was analyzed using hand sections and paraffin sections. The paeoniflorin content in the roots of different P. lactiflora cultivars from different growing areas was measured using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The growth rings in the P. lactiflora roots were consistent with the age of the plant from Heze, Zhongjiang, Pan'an, whereas that for the P. lactiflora from Bozhou was one less than the age of the plant. The HPLC results show that the paeoniflorin content was highest in P. lactiflora ‘Baihuachuanshaoyao,’ followed by ‘Baihuahangshaoyao,’ ‘Honghuachuanshaoyao,’ and ‘Honghuahangshaoyao,’ ‘Bozhoushaoyao’ had the lowest levels of paeoniflorin. With increasing age, the paeoniflorin in the roots of the different P.lactiflora cultivars slowly declined or remained the same. In summary, the age of the roots of P. lactiflora from different growing areas can be determined using growth rings. The paeoniflorin content in the roots of P. lactiflora is correlated with cultivar and it was slowly declined with increasing age. Microsc. Res. Tech. 75:1191–1196, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Effects of a Harness Safety System During Maximal Treadmill Run Testing in Collegiate Middle- and Long-Distance Runners

Abstract Mermier, CM, Zuhl, MN, Wilmerding, MV, Beam, JR, White, AC, Salgado, RM, and Beverly, JM. The effects of a harness safety system during maximal treadmill run testing in collegiate middle- and long-distance runners. J Strength Cond Res 27(11): 2934–2938, 2013—This study compared the results of graded maximal treadmill testing with and without a safety harness (SH) spotting system among collegiate middle- and long-distance runners. Thirteen (n = 8 men, n = 5 women) collegiate runners completed 2 randomly selected maximal treadmill tests. One trial used an SH, and one trial used no harness. All tests were separated by at least 48 hours. The subjects began the test at a velocity of 14.5 or 12 km·h−1 with 1% grade for men and women, respectively, and increased 0.80 kilometers/hr per stage. During each trial, metabolic data and running speed values were recorded along with the completion of a safety questionnaire. No significant difference was found for maximal oxygen consumption (60.84 ± 8.89 vs. 60.733 ± 9.38 ml·kg−1·min−1) and velocity at maximal oxygen consumption (5.33 ± 0.62 vs. 5.24 ± 0.57 m·s−1) between the no harness and harness trials, respectively. Test time was found to be significantly longer in the no harness trial (611.06 ± 119.34 vs. 537.38 ± 91.83 seconds, p < 0.05). The results of the safety questionnaire demonstrated that the runners felt significantly more comfortable during the SH trial (p < 0.05).
Efavirenz-Based Regimens in Antiretroviral-Naive HIV-Infected Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Efavirenz, a non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) is one of the most commonly prescribed antiretroviral drugs. The present article provides a systematic overview and meta-analysis of clinical trials comparing efavirenz and other active drugs currently recommended for treatment of HIV-infected, antiretroviral-naive patients. Electronic databases (Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Trip Database) were searched up till 23 December 2013 for randomized controlled clinical trials published as a peer-reviewed papers, and concerning efavirenz-based regimens used as initial treatment for HIV infection. Thirty-four studies were included in the systematic review, while twenty-six trials were suitable for the meta-analysis. Efavirenz was compared with drugs from four different classes: NNRTIs other than efavirenz (nevirapine or rilpivirine), integrase strand transfer inhibitors (InSTIs), ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors (bPI) and chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 (CCR5) antagonists (maraviroc), all of them were added to the background regimen. Results of the current meta-analysis showed that efavirenz-based regimens were equally effective as other recommended regimens based on NNRTI, ritonavir-boosted PI or CCR5 antagonist in terms of efficacy outcomes (disease progression and/or death, plasma viral HIV RNA <50 copies/ml) while statistically significant more patients treated with InSTI achieved plasma viral load <50 copies/ml at week 48. In comparison with both InSTI-based and CCR5-based therapy, efavirenz-based treatment was associated with a higher risk of therapy discontinuation due to adverse events. However, comparisons of efevirenz-based treatment with InSTI-based and CCR5-based therapy were based on a limited number of trials, therefore, conclusions from these two comparisons must be confirmed in further reliable randomized controlled studies. Results of our meta-analysis support the present clinical guidelines for antiretroviral-naive, HIV-infected patients, in which efavirenz is one of the most preferred regimens in the analyzed population. Beneficial safety profile of InSTI-based and CCR5-based therapy over efavirenz-based treatment needs further studies.
Obsessive-Compulsive Hoarding: A Cognitive-Behavioural Approach

Obsessive-compulsive hoarding can be viewed within personality, neuroethological and cognitive-behavioural frameworks. Three cases of obsessive-compulsive hoarding are described in detail. All cases had some insight (albeit fluctuating) into their problem and were seeking treatment. There was evidence of abnormal risk assessment, fear of criticism, excessive guilt, overconscientiousness and inflated responsibility. Depression, emotional or material deprivation and significant loss during childhood and adolescence were experienced by all cases. The cases are considered to be consistent with a cognitive-behavioural model of obsessive-compulsive disorder emphasizing the importance of learning and cognition. Implications for treatment are discussed.
Pre-intervention eosinophil cationic protein serum levels predict clinical outcomes following implantation of drug-eluting stents.

AIMS Eosinophils have been identified in post-mortem studies as important players of both restenosis and thrombosis after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. We aimed at assessing the association between baseline levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), a marker of eosinophil activation, and recurrence of clinical events in a consecutive series of patients who underwent DES implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS Two hundred patients (age 63 +/- 10.4, males 75%) undergoing implantation of first-generation DES (Taxus or Cypher stents) were enrolled. We measured serum levels of ECP and total IgE by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and of C-reactive protein by high-sensitivity nephelometry prior to percutaneous coronary intervention. A clinical follow-up was planned 18 months after discharge. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), such as cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target lesion revascularization, were the endpoint of the study. Twenty-two patients (11%) had MACEs and showed higher serum levels of ECP compared with those without MACEs [30.5 (14.4-50) vs. 12.2 (4.4-31) microg/L, P = 0.004]. At simple Cox regression analysis, serum levels of ECP were a significant predictor of MACEs (hazard ratio 1.016, 95% confidence interval 1.003-1.03, P = 0.018). CONCLUSION This study shows for the first time an association between baseline ECP levels and the occurrence of MACEs in patients undergoing implantation of DES. Further studies are warranted to establish whether in this setting ECP is a risk marker or plays a contributory pathogenetic role.
Toll-Like Receptor 4 Dependence of Innate and Adaptive Immunity to Salmonella: Importance of the Kupffer Cell Network 1

Mammalian cells recognize LPS from Gram-negative bacteria via the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) complex. During experimental Salmonella infection, C3H/HeJ mice carrying a dominant-negative mutation in TLR4 exhibited delayed chemokine production, impaired NO generation, and attenuated cellular immune responses. However, dramatically enhanced bacterial growth within the Kupffer cell network before the recruitment of inflammatory cells appeared to be primarily responsible for the early demise of Salmonella-infected TLR4-deficient mice. LPS-TLR4 signaling plays an essential role in the generation of both innate and adaptive immune responses throughout the course of infection with Gram-negative bacteria. Alternative pattern-recognition receptors cannot completely compensate for the loss of TLR4, and compensation occurs at the expense of an increased microbial burden.
Fluid models and solutions for large-scale IP networks

In this paper we present a scalable model of a network of Active Queue Management (AQM) routers serving a large population of TCP flows. We present efficient solution techniques that allow one to obtain the transient behavior of the average queue lengths, packet loss probabilities, and average end-to-end latencies. We model different versions of TCP as well as different versions of RED, the most popular AQM scheme currently in use. Comparisons between our models and <tt>ns</tt> simulation show our models to be quite accurate while at the same time requiring substantially less time to solve, especially when workloads and bandwidths are high.
Expression of Nuclear Receptor Coactivators in the Brain of Progestin Receptor Isoform-specific Knock-out Mice

The ovarian steroid hormones estradiol (E) and progesterone (P) play important roles in reproductive physiology and behavior. The effects of E and P are mediated by their respective receptors, estrogen receptor (ER) and progestin receptor (PR) which function as transcription factors. PR is expressed as two isoforms, full length PR-B and the N-terminally truncated PR-A, by the induction of E in reproductively-relevant brain regions, including the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN), arcuate nucleus (ARC), and medial preoptic area (MPOA). These two PR isoforms, PR-A and PR-B, have profound functional differences in physiology and behavior. Findings from our lab and others have shown that members of a family of steroid receptor coactivators (SRCs), SRC-1 and SRC-2, facilitate the ER-mediated transactivation of the PR gene in the hypothalamus and in ERand PR-dependent reproductive behaviors in female rodents. To understand the expression patterns of SRC-1 and SRC-2 with PR-A and PR-B, we investigated whether SRC-1 or SRC-2 are differentially expressed with the PR isoforms in PR-A knock-out (PRAKO) and PR-B knock-out (PRBKO) mice brain. We used triple label immunohistochemistry in ovariectomized PR transgenic isoform-specific knock-out mice brain and visualized SRC-1, SRC-2 and PR isoform immunoreactive cells by confocal microscopy. SRC-1 and SRC-2 immunoreactive cells were detected in the VMN, ARC, and MPOA of both PRAKO and PRBKO mice. The results of our study bring us closer to understanding how steroid receptor coactivators contribute to the alternative transcription of distinct E-inducible promoters of the two PR isoforms.
The Effect of Chronic Oral and Acute Intravenous Amiodarone Administration on Ventricular Defibrillation Threshold Using Implanted Electrodes in Dogs

The effect of acute intravenous administration and chronic oral loading of amiodarone on defibrillation threshold was evaluated in normal anesthetized dogs using implanted superior vena caval spring and left ventricular patch electrodes. The effect of oral loading with amiodorone was evaluated by comparing three groups of six dogs each that received either no drug, 200 mg/day for 9 days, or 400 mg/day for 9 days. Defibrillation threshold was evaluated by administering a fixed sequence of shocks with increasing energies until defibrillation was successful. Defibrillation was determined 13 times in each animal. The mean defibrillation threshold (plus or minus standard error of the mean) was 7.5 ± 0.3 J in the control group, 15.4 ± 0.6 J in the group receiving amiodarone 200 mg/day, and 17.9 ± 0.8 J for the group receiving 400 mg/day. These values are significantly different using analysis of variance and Tukey's test. The acute effect of intravenous amiodarone, 5 mg/Kg was evaluated in five dogs using each dog as its own control. The mean defibrillation threshold during control period was 10.8 ± 0.4 J, and during the first two hours after amiodarone administration was 10.8 ± 0.4 J. There was no significant difference. Thus, in this study oral administration of a loading dose of amiodarone comparable to that used in patients produced a dose dependent increase in defibrillation threshold, whereas no change in defibrillation threshold was observed acutely after intravenous administration.
Materialism and Attitudes Toward Money: An Exploratory Investigation

To explore the relationship between materialism and money attitudes, 204 American college students completed Richins and Dawson's (1992) Materialism Scale and Fumham's (1984) Money Beliefs and Behaviors Scale (MBBS). Correlational analyses revealed that materialism was positively related to feelings of inadequacy about money and the tendency to use money as a means of self-aggrandi zement. Materialism was negatively related to the conservative approach to money, and was unrelated to negative emotions toward money. We discuss how the link between money and possessions may be mediated by materialism and raise questions about a possible relationship between materialism and compulsive shopping. Further research is suggested to illuminate the interplay between materialism, the acquisition of money, and dysfunctional money behaviors.
White and Latino Locational Attainments: Assessing the Role of Race and Resources in U.S. Metropolitan Residential Segregation

This study examines White-Latino residential segregation in six U.S. metropolitan areas using new methods to draw a connection between two dominant research traditions in the segregation literature and empirically analyze prevailing conceptual frameworks. Based on microlevel locational attainment analyses, we find that for Latinos, acculturation and socioeconomic status are positively associated with greater residential contact with Whites and thus promote lower segregation consistent with predictions of spatial assimilation theory. However, standardization and decomposition analysis reveals that a substantial portion of White-Latino segregation can be attributed to White-Latino differences in the ability to translate acculturation and socioeconomic assimilation into co-residence with Whites. Thus, consistent with predictions of place stratification theory, evidence suggests that spatial assimilation dynamics are limited by continuing race-based factors leading to the expectation that segregation will persist at moderate to high levels even after Latinos reach parity with Whites on social and economic resources that shape locational attainments. Therefore, we offer two conclusions. First, contemporary White-Latino segregation is due in part to group differences in social and economic resources that determine locational attainments and that this component of White-Latino segregation will continue to be significant so long as Whites and Latinos differ along these social and economic characteristics. Second, while spatial assimilation dynamics can promote partial reductions in White-Latino segregation, we expect segregation to continue at moderate to high levels because place stratification dynamics limit Latino residential integration even when Latinos and Whites are comparable on relevant resources.
Hydrological drivers of carbon dioxide cycling from headwaters to the coastal ocean on a tropical island

VII TABLE OF CONTENTS . VIII LIST OF FIGURES . XI LIST OF TABLES . XIV CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Aquatic CO2 fluxes and pathways . 2 1.2 Radon as a Groundwater Tracer . 8 1.3 Project aims and objectives . 13 1.4 Study site . 15 1.4. 1 Indonesia and Bali. 15 1.4. 2 Climate . 16 1.4. 3 Rivers . 17 1.4. 4 Geology and Soils . 17 1.4. 5 Water . 20
Association between rumination factors and eating disorder behaviours in young women

ABSTRACT Previous research suggests a role for rumination on eating, shape and weight in the maintenance of eating disorder symptoms. The Ruminative Response Scale for Eating Disorders (RRS-ED) measures this type of rumination. To date, no research has verified the two-factor structure of the RRS-ED. Nor has research investigated the association between rumination on eating, shape and weight and the eating disorder behaviours of binge eating and dietary restriction in young adult females. To test these hypotheses, a sample of 119 females (aged 17–24) completed a battery of self-report measures. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the RRS-ED consists of two dimensions, namely reflection and brooding. Furthermore, brooding was found to be uniquely associated with general eating disorder symptoms, over and above mood and body mass index (BMI). Finally, results provided novel evidence for the association between brooding and clinically significant levels of binge eating and dietary restriction, while controlling for mood and BMI. The current study highlights the association between ruminative brooding and eating disorder symptoms in a sample of young adult females. The findings may have implications for prevention and treatment strategies given that binge eating and dietary restraint are primary risk factors for, and also serve to maintain, eating disorders.
Music genre classification using radial basis function networks and particle swarm optimization

This work presents the development of an intelligent system able to classify different music genres with increased accuracy. The proposed approach is based on radial basis function (RBF) networks, trained with the non-symmetric fuzzy means particle swarm optimization-based (PSO-NSFM) algorithm. PSO-NSFM, which has been shown to produce highly accurate regression models, is in this case suitably tailored to accommodate for classification problems. The classifier's performance is evaluated using the Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC), which can better reflect the success rate per individual class, by summarizing the entire confusion matrix. The resulting classification scheme is applied to the well-known GTZAN dataset, where the objective is to classify 10 different musical genres, based on half-minute music audio excerpts. A comparison with different classifiers shows that the proposed approach offers improved classification accuracy.