Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Media Use and Peer Influence in Adolescence: Perspectives from Neuroimaging

Author(s): Sherman, Lauren E. | Advisor(s): Dapretto, Mirella; Greenfield, Patricia M | Abstract: Social media use is extremely prevalent among adolescents, leading to continued public interest in its effects on social interaction. Understanding the neural underpinnings of social media use will allow researchers to better understand these effects; but the literature on social media and the brain is, at present, remarkably limited. This dissertation examined a unique feature of digital interaction- “Quantifiable Social Endorsement” - and demonstrated that this indicator of peer opinion significantly influences both neural and behavioral responses to content posted online. In Study 1, adolescents underwent an fMRI scan while using a tool that mimics Instagram, a popular photo-sharing social media platform. Participants viewed photos that had been ostensibly “Liked” by peers. In reality, the number of Likes was experimentally manipulated such that half of the photos appeared with many Likes (‘popular’) and half with few Likes (‘unpopular’). Included among these photos were images submitted by the participants from their own Instagram accounts and images depicting risky behaviors (e.g., drinking alcohol, smoking). Participants demonstrated significantly different behavioral and neural responses as a function of photo popularity. Participants were more likely to Like photographs if they were popular than unpopular, and popular photos elicited significantly greater activity in neural regions implicated in reward processing, social cognition, and visual attention. Behavioral effects were significantly stronger for participants’ own photographs than for photographs ostensibly supplied by peers, and participants showed significantly greater activity in the nucleus accumbens - a hub of the brain’s reward circuitry - for the popular g unpopular contrast when viewing their own photographs compared to others’ photographs.Study 2 replicated and extended the findings of Study 1 in an expanded sample that additionally included 27 college students. Like the high-school students, college students also were significantly more likely to Like popular than unpopular photographs, and popular photographs elicited significantly greater activity in brain regions involved in social cognition, visual attention, and reward. When high-school students, but not college students, viewed risky (vs. non-risky) photographs, activation in the cognitive control network decreased. For high-school students, nucleus accumbens response to social reward (i.e., receiving many Likes on one’s own photographs) increased with age.The findings reported in this dissertation suggest that Quantifiable Social Endorsement is a means by which peer socialization and influence occurs in online environments, including to behaviors like drinking and drug use, which represent a significant public health concern in adolescence. Furthermore, social media provide a unique opportunity to examine the neural correlates of social interaction and peer influence in an ecologically valid manner.
HomogeneousTime-Resolved Fluoroimmunoassayof Thyroxinin Serum

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Blind channel equalization using modified constant modulus algorithm

In this paper authors have addressed the problems in blind adaptation technique implementations. Blind adaptation techniques shows poor convergence property in comparison to the supervised techniques which uses training sequences for adaption purpose e.g. least mean square algorithm. Gradient descent based adaption/estimation technique is one of the widely used blind channel adaptation/estimation schemes. The most commonly and widely used gradient descent based blind channel adaptation/estimation algorithm is the Constant Modulus Algorithm (CMA) which suffers from the poor convergence property. Also constant modulus algorithm is phase blind. In this work, authors have presented a new modified CMA Algorithm for blind equalization. The modified update equation is based on mean forth error criteria. Matlab Simulation results proves the claimed fast convergence, low BER value as compared to the CMA algorithm in noisy environment.
Measuring non-axisymmetry in spiral galaxies

We present a method for measuring small deviations from axisymmetry of the potential of a filled gas disc. The method is based on a higher order harmonic expansion of the full velocity field of the disc. This expansion is made by first fitting a tilted-ring model to the velocity field of the gas disc and subsequently expanding the velocity field along each ring into its harmonic terms, We use epicycle theory to derive equations for the harmonic terms in a distorted potential. The phase of each component of the distortion can vary with radius. We show that if the potential has a distortion of harmonic number m, the velocity field as seen on the sky exhibits an m - 1 and m + 1 distortion. As is to be expected, the effects of a global elongation of the halo are similar to an m = 2 spiral arm. The main difference is that the phase of the spiral arm can vary with radius, Our method allows a measurement of epsilon(pot) sin 2 phi(2), where epsilon(pot) is the elongation of the potential and phi(2) is one of the viewing angles. The advantage of this method over previous approaches to measure the elongations of disc galaxies is that, by using H I data, one can probe the potential at radii beyond the stellar disc, into the regime where dark matter is thought to be the dominant dynamical component. The method is applied to the spiral galaxies NGC 2403 and 3198 and the harmonic terms are measured up to ninth order. The residual velocity field of NGC 2403 shows some spiral-like structures. The harmonic analysis indicates that the m = 3 term is dominant, with an average value of similar to 0.02v(c). This is consistent with an average ellipticity of the potential of epsilon(pot) sin 2 phi(2) = 0.064 +/- 0.003, but spiral arms may couple significantly to this result. In the harmonic analysis of the kinematics of NGC 3198 the m = 2 and m = 3 terms are strongest (similar to 0.01v(c)), The inferred average elongation of the potential is 0.019 +/- 0.003. Since the amplitude of the elongation is coupled to the viewing angles and may be influenced by spiral arms, more galaxies should be examined to separate these effects from true elongation in a statistical way.
Following the Perturbed Leader for Online Structured Learning

We investigate a new Follow the Perturbed Leader (FTPL) algorithm for online structured prediction problems. We show a regret bound which is comparable to the state of the art of FTPL algorithms and is comparable with the best possible regret in some cases. To better understand FTPL algorithms for online structured learning, we present a lower bound on the regret for a large and natural class of FTPL algorithms that use logconcave perturbations. We complete our investigation with an online shortest path experiment and empirically show that our algorithm is both statistically and computationally efficient.
Vibration and Rotation in Millimeter-Wave SAR

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) provides high-resolution images of static ground scenes, whereas processing of data containing ground object motion results in varying focusing effects. Special cases of such motion are vibration and rotation, which are closely related to each other. Their patterns may be distinctly recognizable in focused SAR intensity images as well as in a time-frequency analysis. Millimeter-wave (mmW) SAR is well suited to image vibration because its wavelength is close to typical vibration amplitudes. Through a thorough motion analysis in a standard SAR system model, we show the effects of rotation and vibration in mmW SAR theoretically and in simulated and real data
Matrix Factorization in Social Group Recommender Systems

Traditionally, Group Recommender Systems (GRS) apply an aggregation approach, which computes a group rating for each item by estimating unknown individual ratings, for which has been demonstrated that matrix factorization (MF) models are superior to classic nearest-neighbor techniques in individual recommender systems. Moreover, when people are in a group making a choice from alternatives, they tend to change their opinions accordingly to the social influence exerted by others' group members. Sociological analyses suggest that some social factors express social influence in a group, such as, cohesion, social similarity and social centrality. In this work, we combine a MF model to estimate unknown ratings with a social network analysis (SNA) to evidence possible social influence. Firstly, we present an analysis of the relevance of social factors detected in relation with the members' opinions and, then, we describe the results obtained when comparing the proposed technique with the classic group recommender technique.
A Program Logic for Contextual Refinement of Concurrent Objects under Fair Scheduling

Existing program logics on concurrent object verification either ignore progress properties, or aim for non-blocking progress (e.g., lock-freedom and wait-freedom), which cannot be applied to blocking algorithms that progress only under fair scheduling. In this paper we propose a new program logic for compositional verification of contextual refinement of concurrent objects under fair scheduling. As a key application, we show that starvation-freedom and linearizability of concurrent objects with blocking algorithms can be reformulated as contextual refinement, which can be verified using our program logic. With the logic, we have successfully verified starvation-freedom of simple algorithms using ticket locks, the two-lock queue algorithm and the lock-coupling list algorithm.
Key Factors in Early Developmental Assessment: The Conceptual Framework for Enhancing Academic Performance in Iran

The current research investigated the relationship between key social-emotional and cognitive factors, termed as executive functions, with academic performance. In a representative sample (N = 76) aged 7 to 9, the social-emotional development scale, the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale-Children and Adolescents (BDEFS-CA) and Academic Performance Questionnaire (APQ) were used to measure research variables. Then, Structural equation modeling using SPSS-22 and AMOS-20 indicated that social emotional skills mediated by cognitive/executive functions were positively related to academic performance in children in the final model. Increase in academic performance was found when children are capable of better utilizing executive function strategies at academic settings. Thus, it is evident that early screening of social-emotional and cognitive/executive functions in young children can lead to identify children with difficulties in learning.
Perceptions of Discipline Policy, Practices, and Student Incivilities Related to Senge's Five Disciplines

High occurrences of student incivilities are a growing concern in the K-12 education system. This problem may be directly impacted by systems thinking and inconsistent school policy enforcement. At a local high school, this problem affected student learning outcomes and teacher-student interpersonal relationships. The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding consistency in discipline policies and practices, as well as student incivilities as they related to Senge’s 5 disciplines. The conceptual framework for this study was Senge’s 5 disciplines of organizational learning: systems thinking, mental models, team learning, shared vision, and personal mastery. Using a case study design and responsive interviews, data from discipline procedure documents and data on student incivilities were collected from 9 teachers in Grades 9-12, as well as 2 administrators.The data were analyzed using Hatch’s interpretive method. Findings indicated discipline policies and practices were ineffective and inconsistent, due to poor systemic communication structures and lack of classroom management. A recommendation was made to implement systemic classroom management policies and Positive Behavior Intervention and Support trainings. Positive social change occurs when administrators and teachers implement the systemic policies and trainings identified in this study in order to motivate students to change their patterns of incivility and, as a result, focus on learning. Perceptions of Discipline Policy, Practices, and Student Incivilities Related to Senge’s Five Disciplines by Nkoh Lovonne Gaston MA, Central Michigan University, 2006 BBA, Davenport University, 2001 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University February 2015
An Evaluation of Vectorizing Compilers Nagaraju Mekala , Sudhir

Most of today’s processors include vector units that have been designed to speedup single threaded programs. Although vector instructions can deliver high performance, writing vector code in assembly language or using intrinsics in high level languages is a time consuming and errorprone task. The alternative is to automate the process of vectorization by using vectorizing compilers. This paper evaluates how well compilers vectorize a synthetic benchmark consisting of 151 loops, two application from Petascale Application Collaboration Teams (PACT), and eight applications from Media Bench II. We evaluated three compilers: GCC (version 4.7.0), ICC (version 12.0) and XLC (version 11.01). Our results show that despite all the work done in vectorization in the last 40 years 45-71% of the loops in the synthetic benchmark and only a few loops from the real applications are vectorized by the compilers we evaluated.
Calibration of tests for time dilation in GRB pulse structures

Two tests for cosmological time dilation in γ-ray bursts—the peak alignment and auto-correlation statistics—involve averaging information near the times of peak intensity. Both tests require width corrections, assuming cosmological origin for bursts, since narrower temporal structure from higher energy would be redshifted into the band of observation, and since intervals between pulse structures are included in the averaging procedures. We analyze long (>2 s) BATSE bursts and estimate total width corrections for trial time-dilation factors (TDF=[1+zdim]/[1+zbrt]) by time-dilating and redshifting bright bursts. Both tests reveal significant trends of increasing TDF with decreasing peak flux, but neither provides sufficient discriminatory power to distinguish between actual TDFs in the range 2–3.
System Description of bjtu_nlp Neural Machine Translation System

This paper presents our machine translation system that developed for the WAT2016 evalua-tion tasks of ja-en, ja-zh, en-ja, zh-ja, JPCja-en, JPCja-zh, JPCen-ja, JPCzh-ja. We build our system based on encoder–decoder framework by integrating recurrent neural network (RNN) and gate recurrent unit (GRU), and we also adopt an attention mechanism for solving the problem of information loss. Additionally, we propose a simple translation-specific approach to resolve the unknown word translation problem. Experimental results show that our system performs better than the baseline statistical machine translation (SMT) systems in each task. Moreover, it shows that our proposed approach of unknown word translation performs effec-tively improvement of translation results.
Perceptions of commercial snack food and beverages for infant and young child feeding: A mixed‐methods study among caregivers in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Abstract Ensuring nutritious complementary feeding is vital for child nutrition. Prior research in Kathmandu Valley found high consumption rates of commercially produced snack foods among young children, which are often energy‐dense/nutrient poor. This mixed‐methods study was conducted to elicit Nepali caregivers' perceptions of commercial snack foods and beverages and factors influencing their use for young child feeding. Seven facilitated focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted with Kathmandu Valley caregivers of children 12–23 months, and a survey of 745 primary caregivers of children 12–23 months of age was then conducted. During the FGD, caregivers reported commonly providing commercial food and beverage products to their children as snacks, and 98.6% of caregivers participating in the survey reported feeding their child such a food in the previous week. Because of processing and packaging, snack foods were not trusted by many FGD participants and considered as “junk foods” and not healthy for children. However, commercial snack foods were consistently ranked highly on convenience, both because of minimal preparation and ease of feeding; 48.5% of all surveyed caregivers reported providing a snack food because of convenience. Other family members' diets or provision of snack foods as treats also influenced children's consumption of these snack foods and beverages. This study indicates that caregivers of young children prefer snack options that are nutrient rich; however, this may conflict with preferences for foods that require minimal preparation and are appealing to young children. Such findings carry programmatic implications for interventions aiming to address children's diet quality in urban Nepal.
Structural Elucidation of a Bioactive Metabolites Produced by Streptomyces Avidinii SB9 Strain, Isolated from Permafrost Soil in Spitsbergen, Arctic

ABSTRACT Streptomyces avidinii strain SB9 was isolated from permafrost soil samples in Spitsbergen, Arctic Ocean. The strain is psychrotolerant with optimal growth temperature between 20°C and 28°C. During our continuous search for unique secondary metabolites, we have investigated an arctic isolate of Streptomyces avidinii SB9 and we found for the first time, that Sreptomyces avidinii strain SB9 produces 2-amino-3-dodecanol [1], norophthalmic acid (2S)-2-amino-4-[[(1S)-1-(carboxymethylcarbamoyl) ethyl]carbamoyl] butanoic acid [2] and phthalic acid ester [3]. The compounds were purified by solvent extraction, silica gel column chromatography and preparative TLC consecutively. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by NMR experiments and mass spectrometric investigations. These compounds showed antimicrobial activity against important Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Our studies are motivated by an interest in the functional role played by natural products in the ecological interactions of the strain with other members of the microbial community.
Tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase at sites in the catalytic domain regulates kinase activity: a role for Src family kinases

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a widely expressed nonreceptor protein-tyrosine kinase implicated in integrin-mediated signal transduction pathways and in the process of oncogenic transformation by v-Src. Elevation of FAK's phosphotyrosine content, following both cell adhesion to extracellular matrix substrata and cell transformation by Rous sarcoma virus, correlates directly with an increased kinase activity. To help elucidate the role of FAK phosphorylation in signal transduction events, we used a tryptic phosphopeptide mapping approach to identify tyrosine sites of phosphorylation responsive to both cell adhesion and Src transformation. We have identified four tyrosines, 397, 407, 576, and 577, which are phosphorylated in mouse BALB/3T3 fibroblasts in an adhesion-dependent manner. Tyrosine 397 has been previously recognized as the major site of FAK autophosphorylation. Phosphorylation of tyrosines 407, 576, and 577, which are previously unrecognized sites, is significantly elevated in the presence of c-Src in vitro and v-Src in vivo. Tyrosines 576 and 577 lie within catalytic subdomain VIII--a region recognized as a target for phosphorylation-mediated regulation of protein kinase activity. We found that maximal kinase activity of FAK immune complexes requires phosphorylation of both tyrosines 576 and 577. Our results indicate that phosphorylation of FAK by Src (or other Src family kinases) is an important step in the formation of an active signaling complex.
The Role of Semantic Context in the Temporal Interpretation of Events

The temporal interpretation of utterances is crucial to many applications of natural language understanding. The interpretation of utterances clearly depends on both the linguistics or semantic context and the non-linguistic or pragmatic context. We describe an approach by which the semantic context can be optimally used in interpreting events. We propose structured event representations or schemata for events of di erent situation types. We show how the schemata may be integrated into a discourse depending on the tense and aspect of the relevant sentences, and the temporal connectives involved. Our approach uses semantic information to a greater extent than previous approaches, and thereby generates constraints that more e ciently restrict the ultimate pragmatic interpretations. We apply our approach to the treatment of the notorious when-clauses, and show how this approach may be used for connectives with temporal implications.
Proceedings of the Workshop on Formal Ontology for Communicating Agents

In recent years lots of efforts have been devoted to formal studies of human and artificial agent communication. Research advancements have been achieved along three main lines: (i) agent’s internal states and dynamics, (ii) social interaction and conventional communicative patterns, (iii) semantics-pragmatics interface especially in the dialogue context (i.e. the interplay between the semantic content of messages and the communicative acts themselves). There is a recent trend of studies trying to integrate these approaches in many ways. On the other hand, formal ontology has been consecrated as a good solution for comparing and integrating information and thus its application to this specific domain is very promising . More precisely, an ontological analysis of the fundamental ingredients of interaction and communication will make explicit the hidden ontological assumptions underlying all these proposals. Ontology has also proven to be a very powerful means to address issues related to the exchange of meaningful communication across autonomous entities, which can organize and use information heterogeneously. The purpose of the workshop is therefore to gather contributions that (i) take seriously into account the ontological aspects of communication and interaction and (ii) use formal ontologies for achieving a better semantic coordination between interacting and communicating agents.