Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motherboards, Microphones and Metaphors: Re-Examining New Literacies and Black Feminist Thought through Technologies of Self

This article examines how two African American females composed counter-selves using a computer motherboard and a stand-alone microphone as critical identity texts. Situated within sociocultural and critical traditions in new literacy studies and black feminist thought, the authors extend conceptions of language, literacy and black femininity via the agentic, powerful and knowledgeable selves of African American women, constructs that are often missing from the scholarship on young African American women and their practices of self-definition. The motherboard and microphone serve as analytical constructs for understanding critical new literacies and subject malleability, which crisscrosses in complex configurations across the experiences, histories and relationships that carry meaning for those who struggle through scenes of silence. Motherboards and microphones act metaphorically as technologies of the self, which resist and reformat cosmologies of black femininity that have long patterned gender oppression. The findings suggest that technologies exist everywhere, and technology related to literacy and language exists in many forms, including vocabularies of motherboards and microphones. The authors conclude that using such vocabularies for expressing identity can work through the power of metaphor in its richest sense to offer new conceptions of self, whereby the subject becomes a personal artifact capable of immense transformative potential.
Intergenerational Support in Families with Disabilities: Grandparents' Perspectives

Grandparent adjustment to grandchildren with disabilities and grandparent support and involvement with these grandchildren were explored in this survey study of seventy families. The results showed that grandparents were experiencing fewer negative feelings and more positive feelings at the time of the study than at the time they had first learned of the disability. Sons and daughters were more helpful than support groups in addressing grandparent concerns. Grandparent support was significantly related to affectional solidarity with both grandchildren and their parents. Grandparent involvement with the grandchild with disabilities was significantly related to affectional solidarity with grandchildren and with grandparents' educational level. Implications for practitioners regarding facilitating grandparent adjustment and enhancing their support and involvement are discussed.
The Effect of Pulmonary Artery Catheter Use on Costs and Long-Term Outcomes of Acute Lung Injury

Background The pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) remains widely used in acute lung injury (ALI) despite known complications and little evidence of improved short-term mortality. Concurrent with NHLBI ARDS Clinical Trials Network Fluid and Catheters Treatment Trial (FACTT), we conducted a prospectively-defined comparison of healthcare costs and long-term outcomes for care with a PAC vs. central venous catheter (CVC). We explored if use of the PAC in ALI is justified by a beneficial cost-effectiveness profile. Methods We obtained detailed bills for the initial hospitalization. We interviewed survivors using the Health Utilities Index Mark 2 questionnaire at 2, 6, 9 and 12 m to determine quality of life (QOL) and post-discharge resource use. Outcomes beyond 12 m were estimated from federal databases. Incremental costs and outcomes were generated using MonteCarlo simulation. Results Of 1001 subjects enrolled in FACTT, 774 (86%) were eligible for long-term follow-up and 655 (85%) consented. Hospital costs were similar for the PAC and CVC groups ($96.8k vs. $89.2k, p = 0.38). Post-discharge to 12 m costs were higher for PAC subjects ($61.1k vs. 45.4k, p = 0.03). One-year mortality and QOL among survivors were similar in PAC and CVC groups (mortality: 35.6% vs. 31.9%, p = 0.33; QOL [scale: 0–1]: 0.61 vs. 0.66, p = 0.49). MonteCarlo simulation showed PAC use had a 75.2% probability of being more expensive and less effective (mean cost increase of $14.4k and mean loss of 0.3 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)) and a 94.2% probability of being higher than the $100k/QALY willingness-to-pay threshold. Conclusion PAC use increased costs with no patient benefit and thus appears unjustified for routine use in ALI. Trial Registration www.clinicaltrials. gov NCT00234767
Measuring up: comparing first year students’ and tutors’ expectations of assessment

The Freshman Myth has been used to demonstrate that students frequently enter tertiary education with unrealistically high expectations of various aspects of university life. This research explored the Freshman Myth in relation to assessment and predicted it would be reversed for academic issues, with students’ having lower and more negative expectations of assessment than those of their tutors, as communicated via module descriptors, the initial source of information for incoming students. Data were gathered from students during their first class of the module before assessment had been discussed, and through the information and expectations communicated via the module descriptor. Results suggested that student expectations were clearer and more positive than those expressed by their lecturers in many aspects of assessment, including timing and frequency, and range of methods. Module descriptors provided little indication of the standards expected of students or insight into areas in which students were less clear, such as the role of assessment in learning. Information currently available through module descriptors does little to progress student perception of assessment beyond that experienced at secondary level or to prepare students for the academic rigour of their first module in higher education.
Quality of life, postnatal depression and baby gender.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE To study the impact of postnatal depression on the quality of life of young French mothers and to evaluate if the gender of their child influences this. BACKGROUND Postnatal depression (PND) constitutes a major public health problem considering its high prevalence and consequences upon quality of life and parental skills. DESIGN This research is a cross-sectional study during the postnatal period. METHODS This study was carried out during a two-month period. Data were collected by interview and questionnaires. The authors compared the prevalence rate of PND and life quality in a cohort of 181 women and measured the short-term impact of the child's birth. RESULTS Postnatal depression strongly negatively influences all dimensions of life quality explored through the SF36, e.g. physical functioning (PF), physical Role (RP), bodily pain (BP), mental health (MH), emotional role (RE), social functioning (SF), vitality (VT), general health (GH), standardized physical component (PCS) and standardized mental component (MCS). The baby's gender (having a boy) also significantly reduces quality of life, irrespective of depressive state. There is a relationship between baby gender and PND. CONCLUSION This research is the first to show that the birth of a boy reduces several dimensions of the mothers' quality of life. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The importance of the impairment of quality of life in case of PND, as well as its effects on mother-child interaction, could justify prevention programs and early psychotherapeutic care. Further research needs to explore the effectiveness of programmes targeting the construction of parenting skills as a preventative measure against PND, especially for parents of boys.
Research Trends in Nonprofit Graduate Studies

This study examines the growth of the academic study of the formal nonprofit sector by focusing on dissertations and theses written between 1986 through 2010. Using a keyword search, we find and examine 3,790 abstracts available in the ProQuest Dissertation and Theses database. There has been a growing number of theses and dissertations since 1986; the majority (80.2%) were completed at schools in the United States. Thematic analysis found five main themes: (a) Resources (human and financial); (b) Organizational effectiveness and performance; (c) Organization development (context, processes, and culture); (d) Intra-organizational context (leadership, structure, etc.); and (e) Interaction and collaboration (with other organizations, government, etc.). Findings demonstrate an emerging interdisciplinary field in the study of the formal nonprofit sector. Trends across the 25-year time span relating to country of origin, theme, and subject are explored and discussed.
An Indoor AC Magnetic Positioning System

This paper describes the design and realization of a magnetic indoor positioning system. The system is entirely realized using off-the-shelf components and is based on inductive coupling between resonating coils. Both system-level architecture and realization details are described along with experimental results. The realized system exhibits a maximum positioning error of <;10 cm in an indoor environment over a 3 × 3 m2 area. Extensive experiments in larger areas, in nonline-of-sight conditions, and in unfavorable geometric configurations, show submeter accuracy, thus validating the robustness of the system with respect to other existing solutions.
Effects of hormone replacement on progression of coronary calcium as measured by electron beam tomography.

PURPOSE The recent Women's Health Initiative (WHI) results have demonstrated that combined estrogen plus progestin imparts a small but significant increase in cardiovascular risk and breast cancer among asymptomatic women. However, the effect and potential benefit of unopposed estrogen is not as clear. We sought to evaluate the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women using no hormone replacement therapy (HRT), combined therapy, and estrogen alone in an observational study. METHODS Postmenopausal women without symptoms or known coronary heart disease (CHD) were evaluated at our center for follow-up of coronary calcification. Patients were physician referred and underwent two consecutive electron beam tomography scans at least 1 year apart. All women fitting the study criteria were asked to participate, and those who consented were included. Demographic data, risk factors for CHD, HRT, and other medication use were collected by interview. RESULTS The study included 177 asymptomatic women. Calcium progression was 14.6%+/-21% in women taking any hormone therapy (n=97). Annual calcium progression rates in nonusers (n=80) was 22.3%+/-32%. Relative to the nonuser group, HRT treatment inhibited the progression of atherosclerosis by 35% (p=0.01). This effect was independent of age, risk, cardiovascular factors, statin use, or baseline CAC score. Thirty-five of the 97 women (36%) were taking estrogen plus progestin, with an annual increase in calcium scores of 24%+/-23%, similar to the non-HRT women (22%). Those women taking estrogen replacement only (n=62) was 63% lower (9%+/-22%). CONCLUSIONS This is an observational study, and the results are in accordance with the recently published WHI study, demonstrating no benefit of estrogen plus progestin compared with no therapy. However, women taking unopposed estrogen demonstrated a significant slowing of subclinical atherosclerosis compared with non-HRT and estrogen plus progestin.
Terahertz Fiber Bragg Grating for Distributed Sensing

This letter reports a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) for distributed sensing applications fabricated using single-mode optical fiber and a femtosecond laser and interrogated in the terahertz (THz) range. A theoretical model of device behavior was derived, which agreed well with experimentally observed device behavior. In order to investigate the utility of THZ FBGs (THz FBGs) as a sensing modality, temperature tests were conducted. The results demonstrated a sensitivity of -1.32 GHz/°C and a detection resolution of <;0.0017 °C. A temperature distribution test was also conducted using a THz FBG, demonstrating its potential as a distributed sensing platform with high spatial resolution. The feasibility of interrogating THz FBGs using narrow interrogation bandwidths was also experimentally shown.
People can not Only Open Closed Systems, They can Also Close Open Systems

Abstract It is a contradictory argument to say on the one hand that social systems are always open and that there is nothing between closed and open systems, and on the other that there are pseudo-closed systems. Further, Petter Næss has shown that multivariate regression analysis can be used to help uncover mechanisms, something that should be impossible if social systems were always open. He has in addition found that the meaningful activity of urban planning requires for its existence the possibility to make crude, qualitative predictions, which should also be impossible for the same reason. Critical realists therefore need to rethink the whole question of closed and open social systems.
Life in Black America

Introduction - James S Jackson Methodological Approach - James S Jackson Neighborhood Life - Norweeta G Milburn and Phillip J Bowman Family Life - Shirley Hatchett and Donna Cochran Women and Men - Shirley Hatchett Religious Life - Robert J Taylor and Linda M Chatters Work Life - Phillip J Bowman Joblessness - Phillip J Bowman Retirement - Rose C Gibson Physical Health - Linda M Chatters Mental Health - Harold W Neigbors Race Identity - Wyane R McCullough, Gerald Gurin and James S Jackson Political Action - Ronald E Brown Conclusion - James S Jackson
Explaining Soccer Match Outcomes with Goal Scoring Opportunities Predictive Analytics

In elite soccer, decisions are often based on recent results and emotions. In this paper, we propose a method to determine the expected winner of a match in elite soccer. The expected result of a soccer match is determined by estimating the probability of scoring for the individual goal scoring opportunities. The outcome of a match is then obtained by integrating these probabilities. In our experimental study, we show that the probabilities of goal scoring opportunities accurately match reality.
Shielding Applications from an Untrusted Cloud with Haven

Today’s cloud computing infrastructure requires substantial trust. Cloud users rely on both the provider’s staff and its globally distributed software/hardware platform not to expose any of their private data. We introduce the notion of shielded execution, which protects the confidentiality and integrity of a program and its data from the platform on which it runs (i.e., the cloud operator’s OS, VM, and firmware). Our prototype, Haven, is the first system to achieve shielded execution of unmodified legacy applications, including SQL Server and Apache, on a commodity OS (Windows) and commodity hardware. Haven leverages the hardware protection of Intel SGX to defend against privileged code and physical attacks such as memory probes, and also addresses the dual challenges of executing unmodified legacy binaries and protecting them from a malicious host. This work motivated recent changes in the SGX specification.
Reduction of inflammation, tissue damage, and mortality in bacterial meningitis in rabbits treated with monoclonal antibodies against adhesion-promoting receptors of leukocytes

We tested if specific inhibition of recruitment of leukocytes across the blood brain barrier from the vascular compartment to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space reduced tissue damage and improved the outcome of infection in a rabbit model of experimental meningitis. The CD11/CD18 complex of receptors on leukocytes promotes adhesion of these cells to endothelia, a process required for egress of cells into the extravascular space. Intravenous injection of the anti-CD18 mAb IB4 effectively blocked the development of leukocytosis in the CSF of animals challenged intracisternally with living bacteria, bacterial endotoxin, or bacterial cell wall. This effect was associated with protection from blood brain barrier injury as measured by exclusion of serum proteins from CSF in mAb-treated animals. The densities of bacteria in CSF and the degrees of bacterial killing due to ampicillin were not affected by the antibody. Animals receiving the antibody experienced a delay in the development of bacteremia and a significantly reduced inflammatory response during ampicillin-induced bacterial killing. Therapy with mAb IB4 prevented development of brain edema and death in animals challenged with lethal doses of Streptococcus pneumoniae. These studies indicate that the major mechanism of leukocyte migration across the blood brain barrier involves the CD11/CD18 receptors and that inflammatory leukocytes recruited by this mechanism are a major cause of blood brain barrier injury and cerebral edema during meningitis.
The Fog Remote Sensing and Modeling Field Project

The main purpose of this work is to describe a major field project on fog and summarize the preliminary results. Three field phases of the Fog Remote Sensing and Modeling (FRAM) project were conducted over the following two regions of Canada: 1) the Center for Atmospheric Research Experiments (CARE), in Toronto, Ontario (FRAM-C), during the winter of 2005/06, and 2) Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (FRAM-L), during June 2006 and June 2007. Fog conditions observed during FRAM-C were continental in nature, while those conditions observed during FRAM-L were of marine origin. The main objectives of the project were to attain 1) a better description of fog environments, 2) the development of microphysical parameterizations for model applications, 3) the development of remote sensing methods for fog nowcasting/forecasting, 4) an understanding of issues related to instrument capabilities and improvement of the analysis, and 5) an integration of model data with observations to predict and detect fog areas and particle phas.
An Approach for Enhancing the Symbolic, Communicative, and Interpersonal Functioning of Young Children with Autism or Severe Emotional Handicaps

An intervention approach emphasizing development of symbolic thought, communication, and interpersonal relationships was Implemented with 26 children (ages 2 through 6) who had infantile autism, pervasive developmental disorder, or severe emotional handicaps. The main intervention strategy was the use of play in all its interpersonal, cognitive, and structural variety, imbedded in a reactive language environment. Over a six- to eight-month intervention period, the children demonstrated significant changes in several targeted developmental areas, including cognition, perceptual/fine motor, social/ emotional, and language skills. The cognitive complexity of their play skills increased significantly in areas of symbolic complexity, symbolic agent, and symbolic substitutions. Additionally, significant improvement in the communicative and interpersonal characteristics of their play was found. These changes support the efficacy of this approach with young autistic and severely emotionally handicapped children when the children's needs for high levels of structure, intensity, and consistency are met.
Partitioning the net effect of host diversity on an emerging amphibian pathogen

The ‘dilution effect’ (DE) hypothesis predicts that diverse host communities will show reduced disease. The underlying causes of pathogen dilution are complex, because they involve non-additive (driven by host interactions and differential habitat use) and additive (controlled by host species composition) mechanisms. Here, we used measures of complementarity and selection traditionally employed in the field of biodiversity–ecosystem function (BEF) to quantify the net effect of host diversity on disease dynamics of the amphibian-killing fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Complementarity occurs when average infection load in diverse host assemblages departs from that of each component species in uniform populations. Selection measures the disproportionate impact of a particular species in diverse assemblages compared with its performance in uniform populations, and therefore has strong additive and non-additive properties. We experimentally infected tropical amphibian species of varying life histories, in single- and multi-host treatments, and measured individual Bd infection loads. Host diversity reduced Bd infection in amphibians through a mechanism analogous to complementarity (sensu BEF), potentially by reducing shared habitat use and transmission among hosts. Additionally, the selection component indicated that one particular terrestrial species showed reduced infection loads in diverse assemblages at the expense of neighbouring aquatic hosts becoming heavily infected. By partitioning components of diversity, our findings underscore the importance of additive and non-additive mechanisms underlying the DE.
Activation of lytic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection by radiation and sodium butyrate in vitro and in vivo: a potential method for treating EBV-positive malignancies.

The consistent presence of the EBV genome in certain tumors offers the potential for novel EBV-directed therapies. Switching the latent form of EBV infection present in most EBV-positive tumor cells into the cytolytic form may be clinically useful because lytic EBV infection leads to host cell destruction, and very few normal cells contain the EBV genome. It would also be therapeutically advantageous to induce expression of EBV-encoded lytic proteins that convert the nucleoside analogues ganciclovir (GCV) and 3'-azido-3'deoxythymidine (AZT) into their active, cytotoxic forms. In this report, we have explored two different approaches for activating the lytic form of EBV infection in tumors. We show that gamma-irradiation at clinically relevant doses induces lytic EBV infection in lymphoblastoid cell lines in vitro as well as in EBV-positive B-cell tumors in SCID mice. In addition, sodium butyrate (given as a single i.p. dose) is effective for activating lytic viral infection in some EBV tumor types in SCID mice. We also examined whether low-dose gamma-irradiation treatment of EBV-positive lymphoblastoid cells in vitro promotes GCV or AZT susceptibility. The combination of radiation with either GCV or AZT induced significantly more cell killing in vitro than either radiation or prodrug treatment alone. Most importantly, we found that the combination of gamma-irradiation and GCV was much more effective in treating EBV-positive lymphoblastoid tumors in SCID mice than either agent alone. Thus, GCV or AZT treatment could potentially enhance the therapeutic efficacy of radiation therapy for EBV-positive lymphomas in patients.
On the subjective quality of social justice: The role of affect as information in the psychology of justice judgments

This article argues that it is not uncommon for people forming justice judgments to lack information that is most relevant in the particular situation. In information-uncertain conditions, people may therefore construct justice judgments by relying on how they feel about the events they have encountered, and justice judgments may hence be strongly influenced by affect information. Findings show that in information-uncertain conditions, the affective states that people had been in prior and unrelated to the justice event indeed strongly influenced their justice judgments. These findings thus reveal that in situations of information uncertainty, people's judgments of justice can be very subjective, susceptible to affective states that have no logical relationship with the justice judgments they are constructing. Implications for the social psychology of justice and the literature on social cognition and affect are discussed.