Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prograde and retrograde diagenetic and metamorphic evolution in metapelitic rocks of Sierra Espunã (Spain)

Abstract An unusually complete sequence of pelitic rocks ranging from diagenetic to greenschist-facies metamorphic grades occurs in southern Sierra Espunã, Spain. Prograde and retrograde reactions have been studied by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy (SEM, TEM and AEM). The prograde reaction series, with reactions facilitated by tectonic stress, includes: (1) R4 interstratified illite-smectite in the diagenetic Malaguide Complex that preserves the variable orientation of original smectite packets, and has 1Md polytypism; (2) chemically heterogeneous illite and Na-K dioctahedral white micas that progressively evolve toward chemical and textural equilibrium in the anchizonal Intermediate Units; and (3) thick, defect-free packets of phengite, paragonite and clinochlore which have a typical metamorphic texture, in the Alpujarride Complex. Two superimposed retrograde episodes produced: (a) sudoite at near-peak metamorphic conditions and (b) dioctahedral smectite during low-temperature retrograde diagenesis.
Paraoxonase-1 gene haplotypes are associated with metabolic disturbances, atherosclerosis, and immunologic outcome in HIV-infected patients.

BACKGROUND Oxidative stress is associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is an antioxidant enzyme that is bound to high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). We evaluated whether PON1 gene haplotypes influence the metabolic disturbances, presence of subclinical atherosclerosis, and virologic outcome associated with the infection. METHODS DNA from blood samples collected from 234 HIV-infected patients and 633 healthy control subjects had single-nucleotide polymorphisms of PON1(192), PON1(55), PON1(-162), PON1(-832), PON1(-909), PON1(-1076), and PON1(-1741) analyzed using the Iplex Gold MassArray method. Subsequently, the influence of these single-nucleotide polymorphisms on measured biochemical and clinical variables was assessed. RESULTS We observed significant differences in the haplotype distribution between the control subjects and the HIV-infected patients. Haplotype H10 (GTCCGTC) was more prevalent in the HIV-infected patients (6.41% vs 0.64%; P < .001), and haplotype H5 (GACCGTC) was less prevalent in HIV-infected patients (27.7% vs 42.9%; P = .001). In HIV-infected patients, haplotype H7 (AATTCCT) was associated with better CD4(+) cell count recovery, higher levels of HDL cholesterol (P = .048) and apolipoprotein A-I (P = .019), lower levels of triglycerides (P = .004), and lower rates of subclinical arteriosclerosis (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS PON1 haplotypes segregate with HIV infection, HDL metabolism, the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis, and CD4(+) cell recovery after treatment.
Know your students to increase diversity: results of a study of community college women and men in computer science courses

In this paper, we report on preliminary results of an NSF-funded study of California community college students enrolled in introductory programming courses. There are several unique contributions of our study to computer science (CS) education and social science research. First, it involves large numbers of both women and men from 15 community colleges, allowing us to examine differences in gender, race/ethnicity, and other demographic variables in students' interest and intention to persist in CS. Second, we have collected data on multiple levels of influence: individual, relational, and institutional. Third, we have collected longitudinal data that allows for measuring initial intentions, as well as how experiences in the introductory course change those intentions. We report on several factors that relate to intentions to study CS that can guide interventions to increase diversity.
Private and Scalable Execution of SQL Aggregates on a Secure Decentralized Architecture

Current applications, from complex sensor systems (e.g., quantified self) to online e-markets, acquire vast quantities of personal information that usually end up on central servers where they are exposed to prying eyes. Conversely, decentralized architectures that help individuals keep full control of their data complexify global treatments and queries, impeding the development of innovative services. This article aims precisely at reconciling individual's privacy on one side and global benefits for the community and business perspectives on the other. It promotes the idea of pushing the security to secure hardware devices controlling the data at the place of their acquisition. Thanks to these tangible physical elements of trust, secure distributed querying protocols can reestablish the capacity to perform global computations, such as Structured Query Language (SQL) aggregates, without revealing any sensitive information to central servers. This article studies how to secure the execution of such queries in the presence of honest-but-curious and malicious attackers. It also discusses how the resulting querying protocols can be integrated in a concrete decentralized architecture. Cost models and experiments on SQL/Asymmetric Architecture (AA), our distributed prototype running on real tamper-resistant hardware, demonstrate that this approach can scale to nationwide applications.
Universal Piecewise Linear Prediction Via Context Trees

This paper considers the problem of piecewise linear prediction from a competitive algorithm approach. In prior work, prediction algorithms have been developed that are "universal" with respect to the class of all linear predictors, such that they perform nearly as well, in terms of total squared prediction error, as the best linear predictor that is able to observe the entire sequence in advance. In this paper, we introduce the use of a "context tree," to compete against a doubly exponential number of piecewise linear (affine) models. We use the context tree to achieve the total squared prediction error performance of the best piecewise linear model that can choose both its partitioning of the regressor space and its real-valued prediction parameters within each region of the partition, based on observing the entire sequence in advance, uniformly, for every bounded individual sequence. This performance is achieved with a prediction algorithm whose complexity is only linear in the depth of the context tree per prediction. Upper bounds on the regret with respect to the best piecewise linear predictor are given for both the scalar and higher order case, and lower bounds on the regret are given for the scalar case. An explicit algorithmic description and examples demonstrating the performance of the algorithm are given.
Preattentive deficits in developmental disorders of scholastic skills

Working memory deficiency has been implicated in developmental disorders of scholastic skills. The auditory P50 component of event-related potentials reflecting preattentive processing was investigated in 38 children with developmental disorders of scholastic skills and 19 sibling control children, as elicited during a working memory test. The P50 was evoked by two tones of low and high frequency (500 Hz and 3000 Hz). The group with developmental disorders of scholastic skills showed prolonged P50 latency induced by the low tone, located at the frontal area. The amplitude of P50 induced by the low tone exhibited significantly negative associations with both age and memory performance, whereas age and memory performance were associated positively. These findings indicate that preattentive processing deficits may be implicated not only in auditory cognition but also in developmental disorders of scholastic skills.
Fast overlay tree based on efficient end-to-end measurements

Most of the application-layer multicast protocols use end-to-end delay as their primary metric. However, for applications such as stored video delivery, meeting a certain target bandwidth requirement is of primary importance. In this paper, we present a centralized approach on how to build a fast overlay tree based on efficient end-to-end measurements. We first investigate how to infer underlay topology (in terms of connectivity) with low measurement cost. Given N end-hosts, traditionally full N(N-1)/2 traceroutes are needed to accurately determine the underlay topology. We propose a much faster heuristic (max-delta) where a server selects appropriate host-pairs to probe in parallel so as to reveal the most information on the underlay in each round. Given an inferred network topology, we then present the algorithm of fast application-layer tree (FAT), which builds an overlay tree of a certain target bandwidth by estimating possible load on each underlay link. Stimulation results show that almost full measurements are needed to discover completely underlay topology. However, substantial reduction in measurements (by almost an order of magnitude) can be achieved if some accuracy, say 5%, can be sacrificed. As compared to traditional ALM protocols such as Narada and overcast, FAT achieves high bandwidth, low link stress, and low RDP.
Psychology Research and Behavior Management Parenting style and practices in stepfamilies

Correspondence: Cynthia Cassoni Departamento de Psicologia e Educação, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil, CEP 14040-901 Tel +55 16 3877 9997 Fax +55 16 3633 2660 Email cynthia.cassoni@gmail.com Abstract: There are several studies on the best way to raise a child, ie, what would be the consequences of our actions for our children. We tend to think of how to educate children in a traditional family, but society has undergone many changes and, hence, family structures have undergone changes too. Today, we find a large number of stepfamilies facing the same issues concerning how to educate a child. Stepfamily configuration often entails more than just the addition of a new parent figure. The objective of this study was to shed some light on how these stepfamilies deal with issues of parenting style and practices. We reviewed the Brazilian and international literature concerning parenting styles and practices in stepfamilies. The papers identified were organized and submitted to analysis. We identified very few papers addressing parenting styles and practices, pointing to an important but unaddressed social change as reflected in new family structures. There is a need for longitudinal studies aimed at understanding not only a particular moment in time, but also moments within a context, ie, an analysis with a holistic approach without preconceived ideas.
Disclosure of information about employees in the Directors ’ report of UK published financial statements : substantive or symbolic ?

The evolution of reporting about employees in the 20th century culminated in the mandatory disclosures of the Companies Act (1985). This paper reports upon a study of the employee reporting practices of FTSE 100 companies that was carried out by examining the year 2000 annual report and accounts. The analysis whilst noting a wide range of practice among these companies, finds that their annual reports indicate an apparent disregard for the statutory disclosures. Even where such disclosures are made, they often appear to lack any conviction, adhering only to threshold compliance. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Influence of Matrix Size on Statistical Properties of Co-Occurrence and Limiting Similarity Null Models

Null models exploring species co-occurrence and trait-based limiting similarity are increasingly used to explore the influence of competition on community assembly; however, assessments of common models have not thoroughly explored the influence of variation in matrix size on error rates, in spite of the fact that studies have explored community matrices that vary considerably in size. To determine how smaller matrices, which are of greatest concern, perform statistically, we generated biologically realistic presence-absence matrices ranging in size from 3–50 species and sites, as well as associated trait matrices. We examined co-occurrence tests using the C-Score statistic and independent swap algorithm. For trait-based limiting similarity null models, we used the mean nearest neighbour trait distance (NN) and the standard deviation of nearest neighbour distances (SDNN) as test statistics, and considered two common randomization algorithms: abundance independent trait shuffling (AITS), and abundance weighted trait shuffling (AWTS). Matrices as small as three × three resulted in acceptable type I error rates (p < 0.05) for both the co-occurrence and trait-based limiting similarity null models when exclusive p-values were used. The commonly used inclusive p-value (≤ or ≥, as opposed to exclusive p-values; < or >) was associated with increased type I error rates, particularly for matrices with fewer than eight species. Type I error rates increased for limiting similarity tests using the AWTS randomization scheme when community matrices contained more than 35 sites; a similar randomization used in null models of phylogenetic dispersion has previously been viewed as robust. Notwithstanding other potential deficiencies related to the use of small matrices to represent communities, the application of both classes of null model should be restricted to matrices with 10 or more species to avoid the possibility of type II errors. Additionally, researchers should restrict the use of the AWTS randomization to matrices with fewer than 35 sites to avoid type I errors when testing for trait-based limiting similarity. The AITS randomization scheme performed better in terms of type I error rates, and therefore may be more appropriate when considering systems for which traits are not clustered by abundance.
Performance Evaluation Using Conditional Alphas and Betas

Unconditional measures can incorrectly measure alpha and beta when portfolio managers engage in dynamic trading strategies or change their alphas and betas in response to publicly available information about the economy. The authors advocate continual performance evaluation (CPE) to measure dynamic alphas and betas. Comparing a sample of 261 manager portfolios over 1980–1996 to the Russell 3000, they find that a portfolio of the top quintile of CAPM alphas outperforms the bottom quintile by 1.45% annualized, while the spread for quintiles of CPE alphas is 4.00%. When style indexes are used to compute alphas, the spread between top and bottom quintiles of CAPM alphas becomes a erverse-2.41% annualized. On the other hand, the top quintile also outperforms the average manager by 1.70% and the Russell 3000 by 2.42% annualized. While higher CPE alphas do not guarantee superior returns, they are more likely to successfully forecast returns than CAPM alphas.
Employee Retention: A Review of Literature

Human resources are the life-blood of any organization. Even though most of the organizations are now a days, found to be technology driven, yet human resources are required to run the technology. They are the most vital and dynamic resources of any organization. With all round development in each and every area of the economy, there is stiff competition in the market. With this development and competition, there are lots and lots of avenues and opportunities available in the hands of the human resources. The biggest challenge that organizations are facing today is not only managing these resources but also retaining them. Securing and retaining skilled employees plays an important role for any organization, because employees' knowledge and skills are central to companies' ability to be economically competitive. Besides, continuously satisfying the employees is another challenge that the employers are facing today. Keeping into account the importance and sensitivity of the issue of retention to any organization, the present study tries to review the various available literature and research work on employee retention and the factors affecting employee retention and job satisfaction among the employees.
COBRA: Lean intra-domain routing in NDN

Named Data Networking (NDN) is an emerging Information Centric Networking architecture based on hierarchical content names, in-network caching mechanisms, receiver-driven operations, and content-level security schema. NDN networking primitives and routing are based on content names and therefore efficient content discovery of permanent as well as temporarily available cached copies is a key problem to address. This paper examines current NDN approaches and proposes a fully distributed, content-driven, bloom filter-based intra-domain routing algorithm (COBRA), which outperforms previous solutions in this area. COBRA creates routes based on paths used previously for content retrieval, and maintains routing information up-to-date without the need for extensive signaling between nodes. We evaluate COBRA using simulation and compare its performance with other established routing strategies over the European research network GEANT topology as an example of a ndnSIM core network. Our results illustrate that COBRA can significantly reduce overhead with respect to flood-based routing while ensuring hit distances of the same order as when using Dijkstra's algorithm.
Whole-body and segmental muscle volume are associated with ball velocity in high school baseball pitchers

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between pitching ball velocity and segmental (trunk, upper arm, forearm, upper leg, and lower leg) and whole-body muscle volume (MV) in high school baseball pitchers. Forty-seven male high school pitchers (40 right-handers and seven left-handers; age, 16.2 ± 0.7 years; stature, 173.6 ± 4.9 cm; mass, 65.0 ± 6.8 kg, years of baseball experience, 7.5 ± 1.8 years; maximum pitching ball velocity, 119.0 ± 9.0 km/hour) participated in the study. Segmental and whole-body MV were measured using segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis. Maximum ball velocity was measured with a sports radar gun. The MV of the dominant arm was significantly larger than the MV of the non-dominant arm (P < 0.001). There was no difference in MV between the dominant and non-dominant legs. Whole-body MV was significantly correlated with ball velocity (r = 0.412, P < 0.01). Trunk MV was not correlated with ball velocity, but the MV for both lower legs, and the dominant upper leg, upper arm, and forearm were significantly correlated with ball velocity (P < 0.05). The results were not affected by age or years of baseball experience. Whole-body and segmental MV are associated with ball velocity in high school baseball pitchers. However, the contribution of the muscle mass on pitching ball velocity is limited, thus other fundamental factors (ie, pitching skill) are also important.
Altered default mode network connectivity in alzheimer's disease—A resting functional MRI and bayesian network study

A number of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies reported the existence of default mode network (DMN) and its disruption due to the presence of a disease such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this investigation, first, we used the independent component analysis (ICA) technique to confirm the DMN difference between patients with AD and normal control (NC) reported in previous studies. Consistent with the previous studies, the decreased resting‐state functional connectivity of DMN in AD was identified in posterior cingulated cortex (PCC), medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), inferior parietal cortex (IPC), inferior temporal cortex (ITC), and hippocampus (HC). Moreover, we introduced Bayesian network (BN) to study the effective connectivity of DMN and the difference between AD and NC. When compared the DMN effective connectivity in AD with the one in NC using a nonparametric random permutation test, we found that connections from left HC to left IPC, left ITC to right HC, right HC to left IPC, to MPFC and to PCC were all lost. In addition, in AD group, the connection directions between right HC and left HC, between left HC and left ITC, and between right IPC and right ITC were opposite to those in NC group. The connections of right HC to other regions, except left HC, within the BN were all statistically in‐distinguishable from 0, suggesting an increased right hippocampal pathological and functional burden in AD. The altered effective connectivity in patients with AD may reveal more characteristics of the disease and may serve as a potential biomarker. Hum Brain Mapp, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Thermal, Mechanical and UV-Shielding Properties of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate)/Cerium Dioxide Hybrid Systems Obtained by Melt Compounding

Thick and homogeneous hybrid film systems based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and CeO2 nanoparticles were synthesized using the melt compounding method to improve thermal stability, mechanical and UV-shielding properties, as well as to propose them for use in the multifunctional materials industry. The effect of the inorganic phase on these properties was assessed by using two different weight percentages of synthesized CeO2 nanoparticles (0.5 and 1.0 wt %) with the sol–gel method and thermal treatment at different temperatures (120, 235, 400, 600 and 800 °C). Thereafter, the nanoceria powders were added to the polymer matrix by single screw extrusion. The absorption in the UV region was increased with the crystallite size of the CeO2 nanoparticles and the PMMA/CeO2 weight ratio. Due to the crystallinity of CeO2 nanoparticles, the thermal, mechanical and UV-shielding properties of the PMMA matrix were improved. The presence of CeO2 nanostructures exerts an influence on the mobility of PMMA chain segments, leading to a different glass transition temperature.
Sexual Orientation, Religiosity, and Subjective Wellbeing in Canada

The cumulative weight of evidence supports that religious involvement has a positive association with subjective wellbeing. This association is found to vary by cultural context, gender, and age. No large scale study exists regarding the effects of sexual orientation on the association between religiosity and subjective wellbeing. This article, using nationally representative Canadian data from 2010 to 2014, fills this gap. As a prelude, the sexual orientation-related differences in religiosity, also not previously examined using Canadian data, are assessed. Both gay males and lesbians are found more likely to be unaffiliated than their heterosexual counterparts. The association of religiosity with subjective wellbeing is found to be positive, though small, for heterosexuals of both genders and for gay males. No statistically significant effect is found for lesbians. Various venues of explanation are explored.
The Causal Effects of Boston’s Prekindergarten Program on Students’ Medium-Term Academic Achievement

p. iii Chapter 1: Executive Summary p.1 Chapter 2: Study 1 Impacts of the Boston Prekindergarten Program through Third Grade p.3 Chapter 3: Study 2 Exploring the Sustaining Environment Hypothesis: Evidence From Oversubscribed Boston Prekindergarten Programs p. 78
Scalable Feature Selection for Large Sized Databases

Feature selection determines relevant features in the data. It is often applied in pattern classiica-tion. A special constraint for feature selection nowadays is that the size of a database is normally very large. An eeective method is needed to accommodate the practical demands. A scalable probabilistic algorithm is presented here as an alternative to the exhaustive and heuristics approaches. The scalable probabilistic algorithm is designed and implemented to meet the needs arising from real-world data mining applications. Through experiments, we show that (1) the probabilistic algorithm is eeective in obtaining optimal/suboptimal subsets of features; (2) its scalable version expedites feature selection further and can scale up without sacriicing the quality of selected features.