Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volunteering During an Emergency

The present study examined differences in the volunteering experience during an emergency situation using a life stage perspective. The volunteering experience was examined in a sample of 472 volunteers who volunteered during Operation Protective Edge in Israel, based on their motives for volunteering, satisfaction with the intrinsic and extrinsic aspects of volunteering, and intentions to volunteer in the future. The findings indicate that motives of social solidarity and of escape from reality through volunteering are higher among volunteers in late adolescence than among volunteers in middle and late adulthood. No differences were found in the motive of personal empowerment through volunteering. Men tend to express a higher intention to volunteer in the future than women. The findings indicate a need to expand the theory that explains differences in the volunteering experience along the life cycle in routine situations, such that it will also be compatible with volunteering in emergency situations.
Distortion Analysis Toolkit—A Software Tool for Easy Analysis of Nonlinear Audio Systems

Several audio effects devices deliberately add nonlinear distortion to the processed signal in order to create a desired sound. When creating virtual analog models of nonlinearly distorting devices, it would be very useful to carefully analyze the type of distortion, so that the model could be made as realistic as possible. While traditional system analysis tools such as the frequency response give detailed information on the operation of linear and time-invariant systems, they are less useful for analyzing nonlinear devices. Furthermore, although there do exist separate algorithms for nonlinear distortion analysis, there is currently no unified, easy-to-use tool for rapid analysis of distorting audio systems. This paper offers a remedy by introducing a new software tool for easy analysis of distorting effects. A comparison between a well-known guitar tube amplifier and two commercial software simulations is presented as a case study. This freely available software is written in Matlab language, but the analysis tool can also run as a standalone program, so the user does not need to have Matlab installed in order to perform the analysis.
Analogy as a mechanism of comparison

When we think of analogies, we often imagine cases where drawing on complex concepts from one domain helps to extend our comprehension of concepts from a different domain. As such, the use of analogies is often associated with creativity and problem-solving. However, there is evidence that the inferences derived through processes of analogical thinking are applicable in other contexts that might not at first appear to involve analogies. For instance, there is evidence that analogical thinking might play an important role in language acquisition (cf. Gentner & Namy, 2006). Furthermore, as discussed below, there is evidence that the processes underlying comparison and the identification of differences are supported by the same framework that is used for drawing analogical inferences. It appears then that the usefulness of analogical processes extends beyond the boundaries of creativity and inferences derived out of complex representations. We suggest that the theories of analogical thinking are useful not only in explaining creativity and problem solving, but also as a tool for understanding the processes underlying comparison, both conceptual and perceptual (Gentner & Markman, 1997). Specifically, we will suggest that one such theory of analogies, be used to describe not only the processes of analogical reasoning but also those involved in comparison. According to Structure-mapping Theory, analogies are understood via process of structural alignment. The alignment of two representations is assumed to proceed via a local-to-global process that begins by placing identical elements (attributes and relations that exist in both representations) into potential correspondences. These correspondences form an initial set of local matches. These local matches are coalesced into structurally consistent connected clusters (called kernels), which are merged together to form one or a few structurally consistent global interpretations. This global alignment facilitates the generation of analogical inferences, but also reveals structural commonalities between the two representations as well as alignable differences. Therefore this process can be used for the identification of specific differences between representations as well as for the generation of Furthermore, the more similar the two representations are, the easier the alignment process becomes, resulting in the faster identification of specific differences. However, in cases where the identification of specific differences is not required, such as when making simple judgments of " same " or " different " , it is possible to shortcut this process by employing a simple heuristic (Markman & Gentner, 2005). Basically, the lower the number of initial local matches, …
Fast performance estimation of block codes

Importance sampling is used in this paper to address the classical yet important problem of performance estimation of block codes. Simulation distributions that comprise discrete- and continuous-mixture probability densities are motivated and used for this application. These mixtures are employed in concert with the so-called g-method, which is a conditional importance sampling technique that more effectively exploits knowledge of underlying input distributions. For performance estimation, the emphasis is on bit by bit maximum a-posteriori probability decoding, but message passing algorithms for certain codes have also been investigated. Considered here are single parity check codes, multidimensional product codes, and briefly, low-density parity-check codes. Several error rate results are presented for these various codes, together with performances of the simulation techniques.
Getting the fundamentals of movement: a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of motor skill interventions in children.

UNLABELLED The development of fundamental movement skills (FMS) is associated with positive health-related outcomes. Children do not develop FMS naturally through maturational processes. These skills need to be learned, practised and reinforced. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of motor skill interventions in children. The following databases were searched for relevant articles: Academic Search Premier, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, SportDiscus and ERIC. No date range was specified and each search was conducted to include all possible years of publication specific to each database. Key terms for the search included motor, skill, movement, intervention, programme or children. Searches were conducted using single and combined terms. Pertinent journals and article reference lists were also manually searched. INCLUSION CRITERIA (1) implementation of any type of motor skill intervention; (2) pre- and post-qualitative assessment of FMS; and (3) availability of means and standard deviations of motor performance. A significant positive effect of motor skill interventions on the improvement of FMS in children was found (d= 0.39, P < 0.001). Results indicate that object control (d= 0.41, P < 0.001) and locomotor skills (d= 0.45, P < 0.001) improved similarly from pre- to post-intervention. The overall effect size for control groups (i.e. free play) was not significant (d= 0.06, P= 0.33). A Pearson correlation indicated a non-significant (P= 0.296), negative correlation (r=-0.18) between effect size of pre- to post-improvement of FMS and the duration of the intervention (in minutes). Motor skill interventions are effective in improving FMS in children. Early childhood education centres should implement 'planned' movement programmes as a strategy to promote motor skill development in children.
Cancer Treatment Dosing Regimens of Zoledronic Acid Result in Near-Complete Suppression of Mandible Intracortical Bone Remodeling in Beagle Dogs

Bisphosphonate doses used in cancer treatment are substantially higher than those used for osteoporosis. Little is known about the effects of these high doses on tissue‐level remodeling suppression. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of cancer dosing regimens of zoledronic acid on tissue‐level bone remodeling at different skeletal sites. Skeletally mature female beagle dogs were treated with monthly intravenous infusions of vehicle (VEH, saline) or zoledronic acid (ZOL, 0.067 mg/kg); an additional group of animals was treated daily with oral alendronate (ALN, 0.2 mg/kg/day). Doses of ZOL and ALN were, on a milligram per kilogram basis, consistent with those used for cancer and osteoporosis, respectively. Following either 3 or 6 months of treatment, animals were euthanized, and mandible, rib, and tibia were processed for dynamic bone histology. There was no evidence of oral lesions or bone matrix necrosis in the mandibles of any animals. After 3 months, the rate of intracortical bone remodeling in the mandible was significantly suppressed with ZOL (−95%) compared with VEH; by 6 months, ZOL had produced nearly complete suppression (−99%) compared with VEH. ZOL also significantly suppressed remodeling in the rib cortex at both 3 (−83%) and 6 (−85%) months compared with VEH; tibia cortex bone formation rate was nonsignificantly lower with ZOL treatment (−68% to −75%). Remodeling suppression in ZOL‐treated animals was significantly greater than in ALN‐treated animals at both the mandible and the rib; ALN and VEH were not different for any of the assessed parameters at any of the sites. Compared across skeletal sites, the absolute level of remodeling suppression with ZOL treatment was significantly greater at sites with higher remodeling, whereas the percent reduction was similar among the sites. These results document nearly complete intracortical remodeling suppression resulting from monthly intravenous zoledronic acid dosing, with changes being most dramatic at the mandible. Copyright © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Networks of Relations and Word-of-Mouth Communication

We study networks of relations – groups of agents linked by several cooperative relationships – exploring equilibrium conditions under different network configurations and information structures. Relationships are the links through which soft information can flow, and the value of a network lies in its ability to enforce agreements that could not be sustained without the information and sanctioning power provided by other network members. The model explains why network closure is important; why stable subnetworks may inhibit more valuable larger networks; and why information flows and action choices cannot be analyzed separately. Contagion strategies are suboptimal here, as they inhibit information transmission, delaying punishments.
A New Technique for Determining Europium Abundances in Solar-Metallicity Stars

We present a new technique for measuring the abundance of europium, a representative r-process element, in solar-metallicity stars. Our algorithm compares LTE synthetic spectra with high-resolution observational spectra using a χ2-minimization routine. The analysis is fully automated, and therefore allows consistent measurement of blended lines even across very large stellar samples. We compare our results with literature europium abundance measurements and find them to be consistent; we also find that our method generates smaller errors.
A newly established ELISA showing the effect of the androgenic gland on secondary-vitellogenic-specific protein in the hemolymph of the crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus.

A quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to monitor the onset of secondary vitellogenesis in Cherax quadricarinatus females and in intersex individuals (having both male and female reproductive systems) after removal of the androgenic gland (AG). As a prerequisite for the assay, the 106-kDa polypeptide was separated from newly laid C. quadricarinatus eggs by SDS-PAGE, and anti-106-kDa antibody was raised in rabbit. The specificity of the anti-106-kDa polypeptide for proteins specific for the hemolymph of secondary-vitellogenic females was confirmed by double immunodiffusion and immunoblot cross-reactivity tests. A characteristic standard ELISA curve, using egg high-density lipoprotein (HDL), showed linearity between 16 and 500 ng (r = 0. 953) and was sensitive for amounts as low as 8 ng. The inter- and intraassay coefficients of variance were 14.8 and 7.2%, respectively. Only traces of egg HDL equivalents were detected in the hemolymph of male and primary-vitellogenic females (11 to 110 microg/ml), confirming the specificity of the assay, whereas high levels of such a protein (8-35 mg/ml) were detected in the hemolymph of secondary-vitellogenic females. Removal of the AG from intersex individuals leads to a significant increase in the concentration of vitellogenic-specific protein in the hemolymph (up to 2 mg/ml). Moreover, a significantly lower concentration was found in females subjected to AG transplant (79.3 microg/ml). The ELISA thus provided an accurate and sensitive tool to investigate the influence of the AG on the expression of a vitellogenic-specific protein in female and intersex C. quadricarinatus, confirming the central role of this gland in tuning sexual plasticity in this species.
Principles of IEEE 802.15.3c: Multi-Gigabit Millimeter-Wave Wireless PAN

Interests in millimeter-wave resulted in the forma- tion of Task Group 3c (TG3c) within IEEE 802.15 in 2005. It is currently developing a 60 GHz based alternative physical layer supporting PHY data rates of multi-giga bits per second (multi- Gbps) for the existing 802.15. 3 Wireless Personal Area Net- work (WPAN) standard. In comparison to the baseline 802.15. 3 standard, the unique features of 802.15. 3c are: 1) Directional transmissions; 2) Aggregation and Block Ack for supporting multi-Gbps MAC-SAP rate (up to 5.7 Gbps); 3) Unequal Error Protections for enabling uncompressed video streaming. In this paper, we present principles of the key features of the current draft D08 (1). In addition, we conduct a detailed simulation study and the results indicate that the 802.15. 3c can indeed support emerging applications such as gigabit file transfers and high definition uncompressed video streaming in a Wireless PAN. Index Terms—IEEE 802.15. 3c, Wireless, WPAN, Gigabit, 60 GHz, millimeter-wave.
Effectiveness of Automatic Translations for Cross-Lingual Ontology Mapping

Accessing or integrating data lexicalized in different languages is a challenge. Multilingual lexical resources play a fundamental role in reducing the language barriers to map concepts lexicalized in different languages. In this paper we present a large-scale study on the effectiveness of automatic translations to support two key cross-lingual ontology mapping tasks: the retrieval of candidate matches and the selection of the correct matches for inclusion in the final alignment. We conduct our experiments using four different large gold standards, each one consisting of a pair of mapped wordnets, to cover four different families of languages. We categorize concepts based on their lexicalization (type of words, synonym richness, position in a subconcept graph) and analyze their distributions in the gold standards. Leveraging this categorization, we measure several aspects of translation effectiveness, such as word-translation correctness, word sense coverage, synset and synonym coverage. Finally, we thoroughly discuss several findings of our study, which we believe are helpful for the design of more sophisticated cross-lingual mapping algorithms.
E2F2 represses cell cycle regulators to maintain quiescence

E2F transcription factors control diverse biological processes through regulation of target gene expression. However, the mechanism by which this regulation is established, and the relative contribution of each E2F member are still poorly defined. We have investigated the role of E2F2 in regulating cellular proliferation. We show that E2F2 is required for the normal G0/G1 phase because targeted disruption of the E2F2 gene causes T cells to enter S phase early and to undergo accelerated cell division. A large set of E2F target genes involved in DNA replication and cell cycle progression (such as Mcm’s, cyclins and Cdc2a) that are silent in G0 and typically transcribed late in G1 phase are already actively expressed in quiescent T cells and MEFs lacking E2F2. The classic E2F activators, E2F1 and E2F3, are largely dispensable for this process because compound loss of E2F1-/- and E2F2-/- produces a comparably shortened G0/G1 phase, with early S phase entry. Likewise, shRNA knockdown of E2F3 does not alter significantly the E2F2-/- phenotype. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis indicates that in wild-type cells the promoters of the aberrantly early-transcribed genes are occupied by E2F2 in G0, suggesting a direct role for E2F2 in transcriptional repression. We conclude that E2F2 functions to transcriptionally repress cell cycle genes to establish the G0 state.
Co-authorship 2.0: patterns of collaboration in Wikipedia

The study of collaboration patterns in wikis can help shed light on the process of content creation by online communities. To turn a wiki's revision history into a collaboration network, we propose an algorithm that identifies as authors of a page the users who provided the most of its relevant content, measured in terms of quantity and of acceptance by the community. The scalability of this approach allows us to study the English Wikipedia community as a co-authorship network. We find evidence of the presence of a nucleus of very active contributors, who seem to spread over the whole wiki, and to interact preferentially with inexperienced users. The fundamental role played by this elite is witnessed by the growing centrality of sociometric stars in the network. Isolating the community active around a category, it is possible to study its specific dynamics and most influential authors.
The evolution of the Galactic metallicity gradient from high-resolution spectroscopy of open clusters

Context. Open clusters offer a unique possibility to study the time evolution of the radial metallicity gradients of several elements in our Galaxy, because they span large intervals in age and Galactocentric distance, and both quantities can be more accurately derived than for field stars. Aims. We re-address the issue of the Galactic metallicity gradient and its time evolution by comparing the empirical gradients traced by a sample of 45 open clusters with a chemical evolution model of the Galaxy. Methods. At variance with previous similar studies, we have collected from the literature only abundances derived from high-resolution spectra. The clusters have Galactocentric distances $7 \la R_{\rm GC} \la 22$ kpc and ages from ~30 Myr to 11 Gyr. We also consider the α -elements Si, Ca, Ti, and the iron-peak elements Cr and Ni. Cepheids trace instead the present-day Fe gradient in the inner parts of the disk. Results. The data for iron-peak and α -elements indicate a steep metallicity gradient for $R_{\rm GC}\la 12$ kpc and a plateau at larger radii. The time evolution of the metallicity distribution is characterized by a uniform increase of the metallicity at all radii, preserving the shape of the gradient, with marginal evidence for a flattening of the gradient with time in the radial range 7-12 kpc. Our model is able to reproduce the main features of the metallicity gradient and its evolution with an infall law exponentially decreasing with radius and with a collapse time scale of the order of 8 Gyr at the solar radius. This results in a rapid collapse in the inner regions, i.e. $R_{\rm GC}\la 12$ kpc (that we associate with an early phase of disk formation from the collapse of the halo) and in a slow inflow of material per unit area in the outer regions at a constant rate with time (that we associate with accretion from the intergalactic medium). An additional uniform inflow per unit disk area would help to better reproduce the metallicity plateau at large Galactocentric radii, but it is difficult to reconcile with the present-day radial behaviour of the star formation rate. Conclusions. Our results favour a scenario where the Galactic disk is formed inside-out by the rapid collapse of the halo and by a subsequent continuous accretion of intergalactic gas
The impact of learning on integration capability and performance: A knowledge-based view

The paper investigates the effects of learning on integration capability and firm performance. From the knowledge-based view of the firm, a conceptual model is developed and three research hypotheses are empirically examined by using structural equation modeling. The data are collected via a survey of 113 senior or middle managers of manufacturers. Our results provide empirical evidence supporting the positive effect of internal and external learning on firm performance, mediated by integration capability. Theoretical, managerial and research implications are discussed.
BFT-TO: Intrusion Tolerance with Less Replicas

State machine replication (SMR) is a generic technique for implementing fault-tolerant distributed services by replicating them in sets of servers. There have been several proposals for using SMR to tolerate arbitrary or Byzantine faults, including intrusions. However, most of these systems can tolerate at most f faulty servers out of a total of 3f+1. We show that it is possible to implement a Byzantine SMR algorithm with only 2f+1 replicas by extending the system with a simple trusted distributed component. Several performance metrics show that our algorithm, BFT-TO, fares well in comparison with others in the literature. Furthermore, BFT-TO is not vulnerable to some recently presented performance attacks that affect alternative approaches.
OBSERVATIONS ON HEPATIC CELL HYPERPLASIA, ADENOMA, AND HEPATOMA OF RAINBOW TROUT (SALMO GAIRDNERII).

Summary Morphologic and biochemical features of non-neoplastic livers were compared with those of spontaneous hepatoma (hepatic carcinoma) in rainbow trout. More florid degenerative changes and lipochrome deposits were encountered in non-neoplastic livers of hatchery-reared trout than in those of wild trout of identical age. Cirrhosis was encountered only rarely. The majority of hepatomas were well differentiated. Metastases were encountered in only four of 28 tumor-bearing fish. Histochemical studies showed increased cytoplasmic RNA and decrease to absence of glycogen in tumor cells. In five hepatomas there was an extracellular accumulation of protein which contained arginine and tyrosine. Electron microscopy of the tumor cells revealed hypertrophy of granular endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus and the accumulation of granules and amorphous material in the cytoplasm. The plasma proteins of trout with hepatoma were increased two- to threefold. The serum electrophoresis patterns showed increase of four protein components normally present in plasma of teleosts and a fifth component with a greater mobility than serum albumin. A comparison of enzyme patterns of non-neoplastic livers with adenomas and hepatomas indicates that neoplastic liver cells not only possess all the enzymes present in normal liver but augmented activity of many of the enzymes. Decreased activity in tumor cells was obtained only for succinic dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, and glucose-6-phosphatase. Morphologic and biochemical characteristics of hepatoma in rainbow trout suggest that they should be classified as minimal-deviation tumors. On the basis of enzyme patterns adenomas were indistinguishable from hepatomas.