Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Some contributions of a psychological approach to the study of the sacred

ABSTRACT This paper examines some of the contributions psychology is making to the study of the sacred and its role in human functioning. The focus here is not on the ontological reality of the sacred, but rather perceptions of the sacred. We suggest that psychological theory and research on this topic offers: a clarification of the meaning of the sacred; new knowledge about sanctification – the process through which people come to perceive the sacred in daily life; a response to criticisms about the scientific study of the sacred; a sharper perspective on the meanings of religion and spirituality; a method for measuring sanctification; knowledge about the ways perceptions of the sacred predict important aspects of human behavior, and; an understanding of the sacred as a product of psychological, social, institutional, cultural, and situational forces. We conclude that the sacred represents a vital phenomenon of interest for religious and spiritual study.
Recruitment of RNA polymerase III to its target promoters.

A key step in retrieving the information stored in the complex genomes of eukaryotes involves the identification of transcription units and, more specifically, the recognition of promoter sequences by RNA polymerase. In eukaryotes, the task of recognizing nuclear gene promoters and then transcribing the genes is divided among three highly related enzymes, RNA polymerases I, II, and III. Each of these RNA polymerases is dedicated to the transcription of specific sets of genes, and each depends on accessory factors, the so-called transcription factors, to recognize its cognate promoter sequences.
Networks and collaboration in Spanish education policy

Abstract Background Networks play an important role in today’s societies. As a consequence, changes are apparent in the political, economic, cultural, educational and social agendas. Purpose The main goal of this article is to map the situation of school networks in Spain. The research questions are focused on what forms collaboration and networking take in the Spanish education system; how policy and practice are providing a framework for the development of networks; and what the main barriers to fostering school-to-school collaboration in this context are. Methods A mix of case studies and documentary analysis was used. Two regions located in the Southwest (Extremadura and the Canary Islands) were selected to examine their legislation about networks in education. The following aspects were considered: aims and aspirations, areas of interest, organisational structure, benefits and incentives, network project and evaluation and improvement proposals. In this way, Spain is presented as an example of a country that is exploring the possibilities offered by networks. Findings and conclusions There is no common state policy to support networking between schools. Rather, every local educational authority acts with different purposes and a variable extent of development. This particular situation offers a diverse map of education networks. The case studies show that networks are being developed bottom-up, through topics of interest, such as library, ecology, health-promotion, equality, emotional intelligence, educational research, enterprise and physical education. The paper concludes by reflecting on and discussing the current landscape of educational networks. Some barriers identified are related to: the networks’ structures that could be more inclusive, the loose culture of collaboration, the weak mechanisms to link social and professional capital provided by policy-makers, the importance of belief in the network society and community power by stakeholders and also to the necessity to increase incentives for people involved, in terms of working-time conditions and resources.
Replica Symmetry and Combinatorial Optimization

We establish the soundness of the replica symmetric ansatz introduced by M. Mézard and G. Parisi for minimum matching and the traveling salesman problem in the pseudo-dimension d mean field model for d ≥ 1. The case d = 1 of minimum matching corresponds to the π2/6-limit for the assignment problem established by D. Aldous in 2001, and the analogous limit for the d = 1 case of TSP was recently obtained by the author with a different method. We introduce a game-theoretical framework by which we prove the correctness of the replica-cavity prediction of the corresponding limits also for d > 1.
The Fairness of Additive Increase and Multiplicative Decrease

Some recent papers [KMT97, MR98] have shown that congestion control based on additive increase and multiplicative decrease tends to share bandwidth according to proportional fairness. Proportional fairness is a form of fairness which distributes bandwidth with a bias in favour of flows using a smaller number of hops, this is in contrast with max-min fairness, which gives absolute priority to small flows. We revisit those results by using the modelling framework based on the ordinary differential equation method in [LJU77, KC78]. We find that for the case of small increments and constant round trip times, and in the regime of rare negative feedback, the proportional fairness result can only very approximately reflect the real rate allocation when we assume that the feedback received by sources is independent of their sending rates. In the case where sources receive feedback proportionally to their sending rates, and still for sources with identical round trip times, this is no longer true and the fairness provided is different. We show, by simulation on some examples, that even for larger increments, the average rate convergence is in agreement with our results. Finally, we establish that in the event of rate proportional feedback, our results maintain consistency with the well-known derivations relating TCP throughput as a function of loss ratio. However, this does not hold for the rate independent case, which we consider further validation ofthe assumption of rate dependent feedback.
Combination of low-pulse ALS data and TerraSar-X radar images in the estimation of plot-level forest variables

In the present study, the objective was to compare the accuracy of low-pulse airborne laser scanning (ALS), high-resolution noninterferometric TerraSAR-X (TSX) radar data and their combined feature set in the estimation of forest variables at the plot level. The variables studied included mean volume, basal area, mean height and mean diameter. Feature selection was based on a genetic algorithm (GA). The nonparametric k-nearest neighbour (k-NN) algorithm was applied to derive the estimates. The research material consisted of 125 tree level measured circular plots located in the vicinity of Espoo, Finland. The relative RMSEs for ALS were 30.6%, 29.4%, 12.1% and 17.5% for mean volume, basal area, mean height and mean diameter, respectively. For TSX these were 47.4%, 39.3%, 20.3% and 22.4%, and for the combined feature set 29.5%, 29.0%, 12.6% and 17.0%. The accuracies of ALS-based estimations were higher in all forest variables. The best performing combined feature set obtained by GA contained 15 features, 10 of them originating from the ALS data. The combined feature set outperformed the ALS feature set only slightly. However, due to its favourable temporal resolution, satellite-borne radar imaging is a promising data source for updating large-area forest inventories performed by low-pulse ALS inventory.
Nerve Growth Factor Treatment Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Selectively in TrkA-Expressing Dorsal Root Ganglion Cells and in Their Central Terminations within the Spinal Cord

Using immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization, we have examined the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and of neurotrophin receptors in dorsal root ganglion cells. In the adult rat, BDNF mRNA and protein were found mainly in the subpopulation of cells that express the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor trkA and the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). NGF increased BDNF within the trkA/CGRP cells to the extent that almost 90% of trkA cells contained BDNF mRNA after intrathecal NGF treatment, and 80–90% of BDNF-expressing cells contained trkA. Non-trkA cells that expressed BDNF included some trkC cells and some small cells that labeled with the lectin Griffonia simplicifolia IB4, a marker for cells that do not express trks. However, very few trkB cells expressed either BDNF mRNA or protein, and NGF did not increase BDNF expression in non-trkA cells. BDNF protein was anterogradely transported both peripherally and centrally. The central transport resulted in BDNF immunoreactivity in CGRP containing terminal arbors in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, and this immunoreactivity was increased by NGF treatment. Electron microscopic analysis revealed that the BDNF immunoreactivity was present in finely myelinated and unmyelinated axons and in axon terminals, where it was most concentrated over dense-cored vesicles. Our data do not support an autocrine or paracrine role for BDNF within normal dorsal root ganglia, but indicate that BDNF may act as an anterograde trophic messenger. NGF levels in the periphery could influence dorsal horn neurons via release of BDNF from primary afferents.
A Novel Approach for Robust Control of Single-Link Manipulators with Visco-Elastic Behavior

Overwhelming number of control laws has been studied for control of robot manipulators with rigid links and joints. However, controllers designed under this assumption may not accurately control the manipulator link due to visco-elastic properties that appear in the link behavior. In this study, a novel approach for robust control of a single-link manipulator is presented to force the link to have rigid motions, while it has visco-elastic behavior. In this regard, initially robot dynamics is extracted, followed by the design of four appropriate controllers through the loop-shaping approach. The obtained model is first represented in state space, however later converted to transfer function representation to attain robot characteristic equation. Next, a simple and effective method is applied to reduce the order of the robot manipulator model. The final model is examined in time and frequency domains to show the validation of the order reduction method. In order to locate proper zeros and poles of the controllers, Bode plot is used to change the magnitude curve of the manipulator response as desired. The four special controllers are planned for each of four zones of the frequency response. The results show improvements in five major aspects of the behavior of the manipulator, namely transient response, steady state response, robust stability, command following and noise rejection.
Modeling direct effects of neural current on MRI

We investigate the effect of the magnetic field generated by neural activity on the magnitude and phase of the MRI signal in terms of a phenomenological parameter with the dimensions of length; it involves the product of the strength and duration of these currents. We obtain an analytic approximation to the MRI signal when the neuromagnetically induced phase is small inside the MRI voxel. The phase shift is the average of the MRI phase over the voxel, and therefore first order in that phase; and the reduction in the signal magnitude is one half the square of the standard deviation of the MRI phase, which is second order. The analytic approximation is compared with numerical simulations. For weak currents the agreement is excellent, and the magnitude change is generally much smaller than the phase shift. Using MEG data as a weak constraint on the current strength we find that for a net dipole moment of 10 nAm, a typical value for an evoked response, the reduction in the magnitude of the MRI signal is two parts in 105, and the maximum value of the overall phase shift is $ \approx 4 \cdot 10^{-3} $, obtained when the MRI voxel is displaced 2/3 the size of the neuronal activity. We also show signal changes over a large range of values of the net dipole moment. We compare these results with others in the literature. Our model overestimates the effect on the MRI signal. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Training and knowledge in autism among speech-language pathologists: a survey.

PURPOSE The current study was designed to answer the following questions: (a) What knowledge do school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have concerning autism? (b) What educational and clinical training do SLPs receive in autism? (c) Do SLPs have confidence in their ability to provide services to children with autism and their families? METHOD An original 52-item survey was designed to answer the research questions. Participants were recruited through e-mail and were asked to respond to a Web-based survey. RESULTS Sixty-seven school-based SLPs practicing in 33 states across the United States responded to the survey. Most participants had accurate knowledge about the characteristics of children with autism; however, they had mixed perceptions of diagnostic criteria for autism. Although most participants did address autism at some level of their educational training, little time was spent discussing the topic. Additionally, some SLPs lack confidence in their abilities to provide services to children with autism. CONCLUSION The return rate for participants was small, and it is difficult to generalize the results. However, the majority of respondents reported that they could have benefited from additional training in the area of autism. As a result, it may be necessary to consider strategies for providing this training.
PBM Competition in Pharmaceutical Supply Chain: Formulary Design and Drug Pricing

We model the competition among multiple pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) for the patronage of a client organization. Each PBM selects a list of prices to be charged to the client organization for each of the branded and generic drugs within a therapeutic class (price decision) and a formulary list that assigns branded drugs to preferred or nonpreferred tiers (formulary decision). Drug manufacturers offer rebates to PBMs for drugs on preferred tier of formularies. The individuals participating in the client’s pharmacy benefit plan are the ones consuming the drugs and making purchasing decisions, whereas the client organization is paying the majority of drug cost. The choices of the individuals and the client organization are governed by different utility measures. For this complex drug distribution setting and for competing PBMs, we show the existence and uniqueness of a pure Nash equilibrium on aggregate formulary and price decisions, which represent the welfare-adjusted cost and welfare-adjusted price of.
The Diverse Roles of Specific GLP-1 Receptors in the Control of Food Intake and the Response to Visceral Illness

Intracerebroventricular administration of glucagon-like peptide-1 (7–36) amide (GLP-1) reduces food intake and produces symptoms of visceral illness, such as a conditioned taste aversion (CTA). The central hypothesis of the present work is that separate populations of GLP-1 receptors mediate the anorexia and taste aversion associated with GLP-1 administration. To test this hypothesis, we first compared the ability of various doses of GLP-1 to induce anorexia or CTA when administered into either the lateral or fourth ventricle. Lateral and fourth ventricular GLP-1 resulted in reduction of food intake at similar doses, whereas only lateral ventricular GLP-1 resulted in a CTA. Such data indicate that both hypothalamic and caudal brainstem GLP-1 receptors are likely to participate in the ability of GLP-1 to reduce food intake. We also hypothesized that the site that must mediate the ability of GLP-1 to induce visceral illness is in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Administration of 0.2 or 1.0 μg of GLP-1 (7–36) but not the inactive GLP-1 (9–36) resulted in a strong CTA with no accompanying anorexia. In addition, bilateral CeA administration of 2.5 μg of a GLP-1 receptor antagonist before intraperitoneal administration of the toxin lithium chloride resulted in a diminished CTA. Together, these data indicate that separate GLP-1 receptor populations mediate the multiple responses to GLP-1. These results indicate that GLP-1 is a flexible system that can be activated under various circumstances to alter the ingestion of nutrients and/or produce other visceral illness responses, depending on the ascending pathways of the GLP-1 system that are recruited.
Intonation, yes and no

English polar particles yes and no are interchangeable in response to negative sentences, that is, either one can be used to convey both positive and negative responses. We provide a critical discussion of recent research into this phenomenon (Kramer & Rawlins 2009; Krifka 2013; Roelofsen & Farkas 2015; Holmberg 2016), which leads to three questions: Does the intonation produced on yes and no depend on whether the response is positive or negative, and can intonation affect the interpretation of bare polar particle responses? Which particles do speakers prefer to use when? Are preference patterns sensitive to the polarity of preceding sentences in the context? In a series of experiments, we demonstrate that the contradiction contour (Liberman & Sag 1974) is an intonation that is commonly produced on positive responses to negative sentences, and that it affects hearers’ interpretations of bare particle responses. Beyond intonation, our experimental results add new evidence regarding speakers’ preferences for using yes and no in response to negative polar questions and rising declaratives. Finally, our results suggest that preference patterns are not sensitive to the polarity of context sentences.
Economic Inequalities in Maternal Health Care: Prenatal Care and Skilled Birth Attendance in India, 1992–2006

Background The use of maternal health care is limited in India despite several programmatic efforts for its improvement since the late 1980's. The use of maternal health care is typically patterned on socioeconomic and cultural contours. However, there is no clear perspective about how socioeconomic differences over time have contributed towards the use of maternal health care in India. Methodology/Principal Findings Using data from three rounds of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted during 1992–2006, we analyse the trends and patterns in utilization of prenatal care (PNC) in first trimester with four or more antenatal care visits and skilled birth attendance (SBA) among poor and nonpoor mothers, disaggregated by area of residence in India and three contrasting provinces, namely, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In addition, we investigate the relative contribution of public and private health facilities in meeting the demand for SBA, especially among poor mothers. We also examine the role of salient socioeconomic, demographic and cultural factors in influencing aforementioned outcomes. Bivariate analyses, concentration curve and concentration index, logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression models are used to understand the trends, patterns and predictors of the two outcome variables. Results indicate sluggish progress in utilization of PNC and SBA in India and selected provinces during 1992–2006. Enormous inequalities in utilization of PNC and SBA were observed largely to the disadvantage of the poor. Multivariate analysis suggests growing inequalities in utilization of the two outcomes across different economic groups. Conclusions The use of PNC and SBA remains disproportionately lower among poor mothers in India irrespective of area of residence and province. Despite several governmental efforts to increase access and coverage of delivery services to poor, it is clear that the poor (a) do not use SBA and (b) even if they had SBA, they were more likely to use the private providers.
Perspectives from Both Sides of the Parent–Professional Partnership: A Preliminary Study on Taiwan’s Early Childhood Special Education Services

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative study was to get an understanding of perspectives on effective parent–professional partnership for young children with special needs in Taiwan. Through purposive sampling, a total of nine parent–professional pairs were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain perspectives from both sides of the partnerships about building effective partnerships. Data analyses were based on six domains (communication, commitment, equality, skills, trust and respect), and the results showed that (1) positive partnerships were found between partners; (2) participants agreed that their partners fulfilled their roles and met the children’s needs; (3) effective two-way communication was the key for building successful partnerships; and (4) other essential domains of competence (e.g. skills) needed to be further considered as well. Most importantly, the study further emphasised that positive partnerships should be built through effort from both sides.
Immersive FPS games: user experience and performance

Computer games are ideally placed to form the content of future Immersive Media, but this prospect is faced with both technical and usability issues. This paper describes an experiment in immersive gaming using a state-of-the-art computer First Person Shooter (FPS) game, in which we analyze user experience and performance through a combination of in-game metrics, questionnaires and subjective reports. We describe the evaluation of a major commercial computer game as a real-time immersive stereoscopic experience based on a four-screen CAVE-like installation. The implementation is based on a bespoke VR middleware developed on top of the game's own engine. Our results show an overwhelming subjective preference for the immersive version despite a decrease in performance attributed to a more realistic aiming mechanism. More importantly, metrics suggest that users took advantage of the immersive context rather than simply transposing their desktop gaming skills.
A Disruption Tolerant Mobility Architecture Towards Convergent Terminal Mobility

In recent years, a lot of terminal mobility support schemes have been proposed. These schemes mainly focus on providing seamless mobility by reducing the handover delay. They work well when the handover takes place between two overlapping wireless networks. However, in some worst scenario, it is possible that a Mobile Node (MN) becomes disconnected from the network for some time before it can join another wireless network. In such case, existing mobility protocols will suffer great data loss and the data connection could break. The inability to preserve data connection across long handover delay or connectivity disruption is an unavoidable obstacle before a convergent terminal mobility can be achieved. In this paper, we propose a Disruption Tolerant Mobility Architecture (DTMA) to address this issue. In DTMA, terminal mobility is supported via the use of local proxy server. User applications communicate with other hosts via the local proxy on the mobile node itself. To enable disruption tolerance, DTMA adapts Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) architecture as a transport protocol. When the node is disconnected from the network, data sent to it will be cached by the network and delivered to the node later when it reconnects to the network. The traffic overhead of DTMA is analyzed and it is shown that DTMA provides disruption tolerance with acceptable traffic overhead.