Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cooperative Beamforming and User Selection for Improving the Security of Relay-Aided Systems

A relay network in which a source wishes to convey a confidential message to a legitimate destination with the assistance of trusted relays is considered. In particular, cooperative beamforming and user selection techniques are applied to protect the confidential message. The secrecy rate (SR) and secrecy outage probability (SOP) of the network are investigated first, and a tight upper bound for the SR and an exact formula for the SOP are derived. Next, asymptotic approximations for the SR and SOP in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime are derived for two different schemes: 1) cooperative beamforming and 2) multiuser selection. Furthermore, a new concept of cooperative diversity gain, namely, adapted cooperative diversity gain (ACDG), which can be used to evaluate the security level of a cooperative relaying network, is investigated. It is shown that the ACDG of cooperative beamforming is equal to the conventional cooperative diversity gain of traditional multiple-input single-output networks, while the ACDG of the multiuser scenario is equal to that of traditional single-input multiple-output networks.
'What He Did Was Lawful': Divorce Litigation and Gender Inequality in China

How do women fare as they embark on a journey in search of justice? What shapes their experiences of legal mobilization? Do they come out ahead in courtroom battles or not? Through a mixed-methods study of divorce litigation in rural China, I underscore three critical junctures in women’s interactions with the civil justice system. First, I show that court decisions in the judgment stage generate highly unequal outcomes for women and men. Taking litigation outcomes as a point of departure, I then shift to investigate an earlier moment in divorce litigation: the suit-filing stage. I find that the legal profession — a key agent of dispute transformation — frequently fails to convert women’s marital grievances and rights into formal claims. Finally, I trace back to the initiation stage in which divorcing women approach the legal profession for help. Findings from this stage indicate that, in everyday divorce law practice, the legal profession routinely dismisses and violates women’s custodial, property, and spousal rights. Consequently, women’s marital grievances and rights claims fall through the cracks long before they can make way into court proceedings. By illuminating gender disparities in litigation outcomes and dispute processing, this study highlights the multistage process whereby legal mobilization engenders inequality between women and men. It also exposes a great irony in contemporary China: as women turn to law in hopes of obtaining redress, the court system and the legal profession reinforce their subordination at home and beyond.
Give the girls a chance: should spatial skills training be incorporated into the curriculum?

Recently, tests for spatial reasoning skills were introduced in the UK for young children. However, effort is still directed at improving reading and mathematics, with no defined inclusion of spatial skills training in the curriculum. This is a cause for concern given that spatial skills are important for a range of ICT-related activities—for example, navigating Web sites. Furthermore, such abilities have implications for future subject and career choices. There are well-documented individual differences in spatial skills, with gender being one of the most studied. The current study aimed to determine if short-term training with online 2-D or 3-D spatial puzzles resulted in a greater increase in spatial skills compared to a control group trained with word puzzles. The study, involving 168 children between the ages of 6 and 11 years, investigated the impact of the dimensionality of puzzles, as well as gender, age and starting spatial score. Additionally, the children were questioned on the length of time they spent on computers, and their preferred computer-related pastimes. The results showed a trend for higher spatial scores after training with spatial puzzles compared to the control group, although these results did not reach statistical significance. Younger children demonstrated a greater increase than older children, this age trend being greater amongst the females. Those with lower starting spatial scores showed a significantly greater increase in spatial scores after training. As expected, males reported playing computer games more frequently than females. Furthermore, there was evidence that children with higher spatial scores were actively choosing to play computer games more than other ICT pastimes such as emailing. Based on these findings, a provisional recommendation is made that spatial skills training should be incorporated into the curriculum.
Assessing Specific Cognitive Deficits Associated with Dementia in Older Adults with Down Syndrome: Use and Validity of the Arizona Cognitive Test Battery (ACTB)

Background Down syndrome is associated with specific cognitive deficits. Alongside this, older adults with Down syndrome are a high risk group for dementia. The Arizona Cognitive Test Battery (ACTB), a cognitive assessment battery specifically developed for use with individuals with Down syndrome, has been proposed for use as outcome measures for clinical trials in this population. It has not been validated in older adults with Down syndrome. This study aims to assess the use and validity of the ACTB in older adults with Down syndrome. Methods Participants with Down syndrome aged 45 and over were assessed using the ACTB, standard tabletop tests and informant ratings. Results Assessment outcomes of 49 participants were analysed. Of these, 19 (39%) had a diagnosis of dementia or possible dementia. Most participants were able to attempt most of the tasks, although some tasks had high floor effects (including CANTAB Intra-Extra Dimensional shift stages completed and Modified Dots Task). Of the ACTB tasks, statistically significant differences were observed between the dementia and no dementia groups on CANTAB Simple Reaction Time median latency, NEPSY Visuomotor Precision—Car and Motorbike and CANTAB Paired Associates Learning stages completed. No significant differences were observed for CANTAB Intra-Extra Dimensional Shift, Modified Dots Task, Finger Sequencing, NEPSY Visuomotor precision—Train and Car and CANTAB Paired Associates Learning first trial memory score. Several of the tasks in the ACTB can be used in older adults with Down syndrome and have mild to moderate concurrent validity when compared to tabletop tests and informant ratings, although this varies on a test by test basis. Conclusions Overall, scores for a number of tests in the ACTB were similar when comparing dementia and no dementia groups of older adults with Down syndrome, suggesting that it would not be an appropriate outcome measure of cognitive function for clinical trials of dementia treatments without further modification and validation.
Cyclosporine A stimulated hair growth from mouse vibrissae follicles in an organ culture model

Hypertrichosis is one of the most common side effects of systemic cyclosporine A therapy. It has been previously shown that cyclosporine A induces anagen and inhibits catagen development in mice. In the present study, to explore the mechanisms of cyclosporine A, we investigated the effects of cyclosporine A on hair shaft elongation, hair follicle cell proliferation, apoptosis, and mRNA expression of selected growth factors using an organ culture model of mouse vibrissae. In this model, cyclosporine A stimulated hair growth of normal mouse vibrissae follicles by inhibiting catagen-like development and promoting matrix cell proliferation. In addition, cyclosporine A caused an increase in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and nerve growth factor (NGF), and inhibited follistatin expression. Our findings provide an explanation for the clinically observed effects of cyclosporine A on hair growth. The mouse vibrissae organ culture offers an attractive model for identifying factors involved in the modulation of hair growth.
The C. elegans CBFβ homologue BRO-1 interacts with the Runx factor, RNT-1, to promote stem cell proliferation and self-renewal

In this report, we investigate the C. elegans CBFβ homologue, BRO-1. bro-1 mutants have a similar male-specific sensory ray loss phenotype to rnt-1 (the C. elegans homologue of the mammalian CBFβ-interacting Runx factors), caused by failed cell divisions in the seam lineages. Our studies indicate that BRO-1 and RNT-1 form a cell proliferation-promoting complex, and that BRO-1 increases both the affinity and specificity of RNT-1-DNA interactions. Overexpression of bro-1, like rnt-1, leads to an expansion of seam cell number and co-overexpression of bro-1 and rnt-1 results in massive seam cell hyperplasia. Finally, we find that BRO-1 appears to act independently of RNT-1 in certain situations. These studies provide new insights into the function and regulation of this important cancer-associated DNA-binding complex in stem cells and support the view that Runx/CBFβ factors have oncogenic potential.
A Low-Power ASIC Signal Processor for a Vestibular Prosthesis

A low-power ASIC signal processor for a vestibular prosthesis (VP) is reported. Fabricated with TI 0.35 μm CMOS technology and designed to interface with implanted inertial sensors, the digitally assisted analog signal processor operates extensively in the CMOS subthreshold region. During its operation the ASIC encodes head motion signals captured by the inertial sensors as electrical pulses ultimately targeted for in-vivo stimulation of vestibular nerve fibers. To achieve this, the ASIC implements a coordinate system transformation to correct for misalignment between natural sensors and implanted inertial sensors. It also mimics the frequency response characteristics and frequency encoding mappings of angular and linear head motions observed at the peripheral sense organs, semicircular canals and otolith. Overall the design occupies an area of 6.22 mm 2 and consumes 1.24 mW when supplied with ± 1.6 V.
Internet gambling in the workplace

Purpose – This paper seeks to overview the issues, concerns and challenges relating to gambling – and more specifically internet gambling – in the workplace.Design/methodology/approach – Using psychological literature, this paper outlines a number of important and inter‐related areas including brief overviews of gambling and problem gambling, internet gambling, social impact of internet gambling, types of gambling in the workplace and associated issues, and the effects of gambling in the workplace.Findings – The paper reveals that issues surrounding gambling and internet gambling in the workplace are a neglected but important area for employers and employees.Research limitations/implications – The empirical base for the paper was based on a small number of peer‐reviewed papers.Practical implications – Using the findings of the psychological literature, guidelines for managers on the issue of gambling and internet gambling in the workplace are presented.Originality/value – Research on internet gambling is .
Content Analysis in Environmental Reporting Research: Enrichment and Rehearsal of the Method in a British-German Context

This paper provides a critical review of content analysis studies of social and environmental reporting and proposes to advance the rigour and usefulness of this popular technique. The authors identify two different approaches to content analysis: mechanistic approaches and interpretative analysis. According to the authors, mechanistic content analysis is dominant in social and environmental accounting and has a number of weaknesses. Consequently, the authors introduce a new content analytic method called consolidated narrative interrogation, which seeks to combine a mechanistic approach with something similar to a form of close reading. To support this method, data were collected from 14 paired companies in the UK and Germany, matched for size and industry in ten different sectors. To analyse the data, three coding steps were employed, namely: a qualitative coding of content diversity; coding on an information content scale; a quantitative volumetric measurement. The authors conclude that the more advanced method of content analysis developed in the paper produces a wider range of replicable insights into disclosure which may enrich our interpretations of environmental reporting. The paper attempts to advance a method for the analysis of environmental reporting and, in this respect, makes a valuable contribution to the literature. However, there is perhaps some scope for the authors’ to delineate how consolidated narrative interrogation relates (or interacts) with recent discourse-based studies in social and environmental accounting and to further articulate the theoretical aspects of their framework.
Comprehension of inferences in discourse processing by adolescents with and without language impairment.

PURPOSE This study investigated inference construction within spoken narratives in adolescents with varying cognitive and language abilities, using W. Kintsch's (1988) construction-integration model as a framework. The role of working memory in inference construction was examined along with language and nonverbal cognition. METHOD Participants were 527 eighth-grade students in 4 diagnostic groups: normal language (NL), low cognitive (LC), specific language impairment (SLI), and nonspecific language impairment (NLI). Participants answered premise and inference questions based on adjacent and distant information. RESULTS Distant inferences were significantly more difficult than were adjacent inferences. When controlling for premise accuracy, the NL group performed significantly better than each of the other groups on distant inferences. The LC group demonstrated significantly higher accuracy on distant inferences than did the NLI group. Regression analyses revealed that performance on a verbal working memory measure predicted unique variance in distant inference accuracy beyond that accounted for by measures of language and nonverbal cognition. CONCLUSIONS Understanding implicit information, particularly when linking distant information, is difficult for adolescents who are deficient in language comprehension, verbal working memory skills, and/or general world knowledge.
Communication Density: A Channel Load Metric for Vehicular Communications Research

While scalability is a fundamental topic in vehicular safety communications, the question of how to measure it has not been satisfactorily resolved. This paper introduces the concept of communication density, which can effectively serve as a metric for channel load in vehicular communications. Communication density is the number of carrier sensible events per unit of time and road. The simulation results presented in this paper demonstrate that broadcast transmissions with the same power produce equivalent performances in scenarios characterized by the same composite communication density. As such, this metric provides the basis for distributed congestion control design in vehicular safety communications. Also, it significantly reduces the complexity of simulations setups for vehicular safety applications studies.
Feelings towards Older vs. Younger Adults: Results from the European Social Survey

The study evaluated the association of modernization (at the macro/societal-level) and modernity (at the micro/individual-level) with feelings towards older vs. younger adults. Analysis was based on the fourth wave of the European Social Survey, which includes a rotated module on ageism. The sample consisted of 28 countries and a total of 54,988 respondents. The outcome was based on two affective items measuring explicit feelings towards older vs. younger adults. Hierarchical linear modeling was used in the analysis. A small portion of the variance was attributed to cross-country differences. There was a trend towards more positive feelings towards older adults compared to younger adults. The findings provide support to the claim that modernity is associated with reports of affective ageism, but only minimal support to a relationship between modernization and affective ageism.
Sex role identity and relationship factors as correlates of abusive behavior in lesbian relationships

The recognition of partner abuse between lesbian intimates has gained attention in the literature only within the last few decades. The current research indicates that physical and psychological abuse is occurring between lesbian partners at about the same rate as their heterosexual counterparts. The theoretical explanations for lesbian partner abuse share similarities with the heterosexual paradigm. However, significant differences in gender make-up and the patriarchal issues of power and control do not fit within the lesbian framework and the unique issues of attachment in lesbian relationships and the issue of homophobia are cause for another perspective. This study shifts the focus from gender differences to explain abusive behavior, to another paradigm examining both the individual characteristics of the abuser as well as the particular dimensions of the relationship. This research sought to measure whether a lesbian’s sex role identity is associated with her abusive behavior toward an intimate female partner, focusing specifically on whether the dimensions o f masculinity and femininity help to explain abusive behavior. Additionally, building on existing research in the field of lesbian partner abuse, this study examined to what extent the relationship factors of dependency, jealousy, and power imbalance are related to abusive behavior. There were four purposes o f this study 1) to investigate to what extent partner abuse exists among lesbian intimates; 2) to examine the nature o f this abusive behavior; 3) to examine whether there is an association between sex role identity and abusive behavior; and 4) to investigate the extent to which the relationship factors o f dependency, jealousy, and power imbalance are related to abusive behavior in lesbian relationships.
Screening of the Entire Ryanodine Receptor Type 1 Coding Region for Sequence Variants Associated with Malignant Hyperthermia Susceptibility in the North American Population

Background:Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a life-threatening and frequently fatal disorder triggered by commonly used anesthetics. MH susceptibility is a genetically determined predisposition to the development of MH. Mutations in the ryanodine receptor type 1 (RYR1) gene are the major cause of MH susceptibility. The authors sought to develop a reliable genetic screening strategy based on efficient and relatively inexpensive mutation-detection procedures. Methods:A cohort (n = 30) of North American MH patients and MH-susceptible individuals was studied. RNA and DNA extracted from muscle tissue or blood lymphocytes were used for analysis. The entire RYR1 coding region was amplified in 57 overlapping fragments and subjected to denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography analysis followed by direct nucleotide sequencing to characterize RYR1 alterations. Results:Nine previously reported and nine unknown RYR1 mutations were identified in 21 of 30 studied patients (70%). Some of the new mutations were located outside of known mutational “hot spots,” suggesting that RYR1 contains previously unknown mutation-prone areas requiring analysis. The North American MH/MH-susceptible population is characterized by a high RYR1 allelic heterogeneity. Conclusions:Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of RNA samples extracted from the biopsied skeletal muscle followed by DNA sequencing is a highly efficient methodology for RYR1 mutation detection. This approach allows increasing the rate of mutation detection to 70% and identifying mutations in the entire RYR1 coding region.
Time-trends and causes of infant, neonatal and postneonatal mortality in Mexico, 1980-1990.

OBJECTIVE This article analyzes the time-trends and causes of infant, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality in Mexico during the 1980's. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data on infant deaths came from yearly tabulations (1980 to 1990) published by the Mexican government. Time-trends of mortality rates were determined by simple linear regression models. The parallelism test was performed for evaluating similarities in trends in neonatal and postneonatal mortality rates by causes. RESULTS During the 1980's, infant mortality rates in Mexico declined from 40.4 to 31.1/1000 (beta = -0.791). Postneonatal mortality rates showed a strong decrease (beta = -0.892), while neonatal mortality rates were almost stationary (beta = 0.089). Significant rate decreases were observed for intestinal infections, Pneumonia and influenza and All other causes while Certain perinatal problems, Congenital defects and Nutritional deficiencies increased. No changes were observed in Acute respiratory infections. The neonatal proportional mortality showed an incremental trend accounting for 37.6% in 1980 and ascending to 48.8% in 1990 of the mortality in the first year of life. CONCLUSIONS This analysis indicates that the reduction in infant mortality in Mexico during the 1980's was due to declining postneonatal mortality while neonatal mortality rates remain almost unchanged.
Effect of phloretin on the permeability of thin lipid membranes

Phloretin dramatically increases cation conductances and decreases anion conductances of membranes treated with ion carriers (nonactin, valinomycin, carbonyl-cyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone [CCCP], and Hg(C6F5)2) or lipophilic ions (tetraphenylarsonium [tphAs+] and tetraphenylborate [TPhB-]). For example, on phosphatidylethanolamine membranes, 10(-4) M phloretin increases K+ -nonactin and TPhAs+ conductances and decreases CCCP- and TPhB- conductances 10(3)-fold; on lecithin: cholesterol membranes, it increases K+-nonactin conductance 10(5)-fold and decreases CCCP- conductance 10(3)-fold. Similar effects are obtained with p- and m-nitrophenol at 10(-2) M. These effects are produced by the un-ionized form of phloretin and the nitrophenols. We believe that phloretin, which possesses a large dipole moment, adsorbs and orients at the membrane surface to introduce a dipole potential of opposite polarity to the preexisting positive one, thus increasing the partition coefficient of cations into the membrane interior and decreasing the partition coefficient of anions. (Phloretin may also increase the fluidity of cholesterol-containing membranes; this is manifested by its two- to three-fold increase in nonelectrolyte permeability and its asymmetrical effect on cation and anion conductances in cholesterol-containing membranes.) It is possible that pholoretin's inhibition of chloride, urea, and glucose transport in biological membranes results from the effects of these intense intrafacial dipole fields on the translocator(s) of these molecules.
Transfected DNA is mutated in monkey, mouse, and human cells

Papovavirus-based shuttle vectors containing the bacterial lacI gene were used to show that a mutation frequency in the range of 1% occurs in lacI when such vectors are transfected into COS7 and CV-1 simian cells, NIH 3T3, 3T6, L, and C127 mouse cells, and human 293 and HeLa cells. This frequency is approximately four orders of magnitude higher than the spontaneous mutation frequency in either mammalian or bacterial cells. The mutations are predominantly base substitutions and deletions and also include insertions from the mammalian genome. Time course experiments argue that mutagenesis occurs soon after arrival of the DNA into the nucleus. However, replication of the vector is not required since mutations occur even when the vector lacks all viral sequences. The high mutation frequency appears to be the characteristic outcome of transfection of DNA into mammalian cells.