Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Urban trajectory timeline visualization

In this paper, we propose using timelines for 2D trajectory comparison. Trajectories directly rendered on a map do not show temporal information well, and are cluttered and unaligned. This make them difficult to compare. We convert trajectories to timelines, which naturally shows time, and are more compact and easy to align. In addition to simply showing how an attribute varies along the time, we further propose some novel timelines to show spatial-temporal features. We provide some use cases to show the benefit of our method.
Integrin function: molecular hierarchies of cytoskeletal and signaling molecules

Integrin receptors play important roles in organizing the actin- containing cytoskeleton and in signal transduction from the extracellular matrix. The initial steps in integrin function can be analyzed experimentally using beads coated with ligands or anti- integrin antibodies to trigger rapid focal transmembrane responses. A hierarchy of transmembrane actions was identified in this study. Simple integrin aggregation triggered localized transmembrane accumulation of 20 signal transduction molecules, including RhoA, Rac1, Ras, Raf, MEK, ERK, and JNK. In contrast, out of eight cytoskeletal molecules tested, only tensin coaccumulated. Integrin aggregation alone was also sufficient to induce rapid activation of the JNK pathway, with kinetics of activation different from those of ERK. The tyrosine kinase inhibitors herbimycin A or genistein blocked both the accumulation of 19 out of 20 signal transduction molecules and JNK- and ERK-mediated signaling. Cytochalasin D had identical effects, whereas three other tyrosine kinase inhibitors did not. The sole exception among signaling molecules was the kinase pp125FAK which continued to coaggregate with alpha 5 beta 1 integrins even in the presence of these inhibitors. Tyrosine kinase inhibition also failed to block the ability of ligand occupancy plus integrin aggregation to trigger transmembrane accumulation of the three cytoskeletal molecules talin, alpha-actinin, and vinculin; these molecules accumulated even in the presence of cytochalasin D. However, it was necessary to fulfill all four conditions, i.e., integrin aggregation, integrin occupancy, tyrosine kinase activity, and actin cytoskeletal integrity, to achieve integrin- mediated focal accumulation of other cytoskeletal molecules including F- actin and paxillin. Integrins therefore mediate a transmembrane hierarchy of molecular responses.
Pluralism and Toleration in Contemporary Political Philosophy

Liberal toleration arose from the divisions of monocultural societies. In the conditions in which it arose, the liberal project of toleration made a signal contribution to human well-being. It allowed individuals and communities who did not share religious beliefs nevertheless to have some kind of life together. There are no imaginable circumstances in which human society can dispense with that project of toleration. Yet it has a limited relevance to the circumstances of the contemporary world. Liberal toleration presupposed a cultural consensus on values even as it allowed for differences in beliefs. It is an inadequate ideal in societies in which deep moral diversity has become an established fact of life.
An approach for selective beacon forwarding to improve cooperative awareness

Cooperative awareness is established by vehicles exchanging their status frequently. In situations where a high number of vehicles access the communication channel with high frequency, communication and cooperative awareness suffer from increased packet loss. So far, forwarding of beacons focuses on extending the range of V2V communication which is not necessarily needed in most scenarios. In this paper, we motivate selective beacon forwarding to improve the reliability of cooperative awareness in high load situations. We define a metric to measure the quality of cooperative awareness and compare different static beacon rates by a simulation study. Especially in high load situations, we evaluate selective forwarding of beacons to overcome the awareness degradation due to interference, leading to packet loss even at short distances. We show that our approach causes only slight overhead in terms of additional messages and that the age of forwarded information is less than half the beacon interval.
Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement: A Case Study of the University of Bahrain

Abstract In recent years, Bahrain has taken serious actions to diversify its sources of income and solve major national problems such as unemployment. Through this process it discovered that one of the main factors for its economic problems was the quality of higher education on offer. This led to the creation of a national Quality Assurance Authority that aims to regulate higher education institutes according to the national standards. This initiative is expected to both improve higher education in Bahrain and maintain international standards to ensure its reputation outside the country. To start, the Quality Assurance Authority relied indirectly on the good practices of higher education institutions in Bahrain. These were used as a benchmark for standards. This article addresses some aspects of applying quality assurance in higher education in Bahrain by using the University of Bahrain as a case study of good practices. It also compares these practices across various disciplines.
Accretion-driven evolution of black holes: Eddington ratios, duty cycles and active galaxy fractions

We develop semi-empirical models of the supermassive black hole and active galactic nucleus (AGN) populations, which incorporate the black hole growth implied by the observed AGN luminosity function assuming a radiative efficiencyǫ and a distribution of Eddington ratios λ. By generalizing these continuity-equation models to allow a distribution P(λ|MBH,z) we are able to draw on constraints from observationally estimated λ distributions and active galaxy fractions while accounting for the luminosity thresholds of observational samples. We consider models with a Gaussian distribution of logλ and Gaussians augmented with a power-law tail to low λ. Within our framework, reproducing the high observed AGN fractions at low redshift requires a characteristic Eddington ratio λc that declines at late times, and matching observed Eddington ratio distributions requires a P(λ) that broadens at low redshift. To reproduce the observed increase of AGN fraction with black hole or galaxy mass, we also require a λc that decreases with increasing black hole mass, reducing the AGN luminosity associated with the most massive black holes. Finally, achieving a good match to the high mass end of the local black hole mass function requires an increased radiative efficiency at high black hole mass. We discuss the potential impact of black hole mergers or a λ-dependent bolometric correction, and we compute evolutionary predictions for black hole and galaxy specific accretion rates. Despite the flexibility of our framework, no one model provides a good fit to all the data we consider; it is particularly difficult to reconcile the relatively narrowλ distributions and low duty cycles estimated for luminous broad-line AGN with the broader λ distributions and higher duty cycles found in more widely selected AGN samples, which typically have lower luminosity thresholds.
Strategic Conversation Quality and Engagement: Assessment of a New Measure

When considering organization strategy-making and execution from a learning perspective, the role of conversation and engagement is of critical importance, yet little research has been conducted in this area. Recent publications have suggested an increasing role for conversation and dialog in strategic planning processes. The present study provides initial validity and reliability scores of an instrument for measuring individual conversation quality and engagement skills in a strategic planning context. Participants were managers (n=204) from four organizations. Results indicate an instrument with highly accurate and consistent measurement scores. Implications for practice and future research are briefly discussed.
Tourist’s Intention of Returning to a Visited Destination: Cruise Ship Passengers in Cartagena De Indias, Colombia

This study contribute to the growing literature on repeat visitation by examining the factors that affect a cruise ship passenger’s stated likelihood of returning to a visited port as a stay over tourist. Results from a survey of cruise ship passengers that stopped in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) during the second semester of 2009 suggest that about one half of the respondents plan a return trip to the area. We show that the probability of returning to the destination depends positively on geographic area of residence, on the level of satisfaction declared by the passenger, on the time spent out the ship and especially on whether the tourist is not an experienced cruiser. The typical visitor wanting to return as stayover tourist is thus male, lives in the Caribbean area, high educated, young, on his first cruise and on an self-organized visit, who has spend a lot of time in port and experienced satisfactory services and security.
Increased expression of the SNARE accessory protein Munc18c in lipid-mediated insulin resistance Published, JLR Papers in Press, April 16, 2003. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M300003-JLR200

Fatty acids inhibit insulin-mediated glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle, an effect largely attributed to defects in insulin-mediated glucose transport. Insulin-resistant mice transgenic for the overexpression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in skeletal muscle were used to examine the molecular mechanism(s) in more detail. Using DNA gene chip array technology, and confirmation by RT-PCR and Western analysis, increases in the yeast Sec1p homolog Munc18c mRNA and protein were found in the gastrocnemius muscle of transgenic mice, but not other tissues. Munc18c has been previously demonstrated to impair insulin-mediated glucose transport in mammalian cells in vitro. Of interest, stably transfected C2C12 cells overexpressing LPL not only demonstrated increases in Munc18c mRNA and protein but also in transcription rates of the Munc18c gene. To confirm the relevance of fatty acid metabolism and insulin resistance to the expression of Munc18c in vivo, a 2-fold increase in Munc18c protein was demonstrated in mice fed a high-fat diet for 4 weeks. Together, these data are the first to implicate in vivo increases in Munc18c as a potential contributing mechanism to fatty acid-induced insulin resistance.
Spinal Cord Blood Flow Change by Intravenous Midazolam During Isoflurane Anesthesia

We investigated the effects of IV midazolam on spinal cord blood flow in 32 cats anesthetized with isoflurane. Cats underwent laminectomy, and the lumbar spinal cord was exposed. A platinum electrode was inserted stereotaxically into the spinal cord to a depth of 1 mm—2 mm lateral to midline at L2. Arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and spinal cord blood flow (using the hydrogen clearance method) were measured before and at 5, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after an IV bolus of midazolam (0, 1, 2, or 4 mg/kg in saline 5 mL; n = 8 cats per dose). Arterial blood pressure was not affected by 0 or 1 mg/kg of midazolam but was decreased for 30 min by 2 or 4 mg/kg of midazolam. Heart rate did not change. Spinal cord blood flow was increased for 90 min by midazolam 1 mg/kg and for 15 min by midazolam 2 mg/kg but was not changed by midazolam 4 mg/kg. In conclusion, 1 mg/kg of midazolam increased feline spinal cord blood flow without changing arterial blood pressure. In contrast, a larger dose of midazolam (4 mg/kg) did not change spinal cord blood flow but substantially decreased arterial blood pressure during isoflurane anesthesia.
Early markers of adult obesity: a review

The purpose of this review was to evaluate factors in early childhood (≤5 years of age) that are the most significant predictors of the development of obesity in adulthood. Factors of interest included exposures/insults in the prenatal period, infancy and early childhood, as well as other socio‐demographic variables such as socioeconomic status (SES) or birth place that could impact all three time periods. An extensive electronic and systematic search initially resulted in 8,880 citations, after duplicates were removed. Specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were set, and following two screening processes, 135 studies were retained for detailed abstraction and analysis. A total of 42 variables were associated with obesity in adulthood; however, of these, only seven variables may be considered as potential early markers of obesity based on the reported associations. Possible early markers of obesity included maternal smoking and maternal weight gain during pregnancy. Probable early markers of obesity included maternal body mass index, childhood growth patterns (early rapid growth and early adiposity rebound), childhood obesity and father's employment (a proxy measure for SES in many studies). Health promotion programmes/agencies should consider these factors as reasonable targets to reduce the risk of adult obesity.
Halloysite nanotube-based drug delivery system for treating osteosarcoma

Our previous studies have shown that halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) can be doped with a variety of bioactive agents (antibiotics, growth factors, chemotherapeutics) and the agents can be released in a sustained manner. In this study, anti-tumor drugs were loaded into HNTs and tested for their ability to inhibit/kill osteosarcoma cells. Results demonstrate that drugs released from the HNTs can inhibit proliferation or induce apoptosis in the osteosarcoma cells showing the potential application of doped HNTs as an anti-cancer drug delivery system.
The Politics of Culture and the Transient Culture of Bojale: Bakgatla-Baga-Kgafela Women's Initiation in Botswana

To understand the politics of initiation ceremonies, this article discusses bojale, a traditional rite of passage among the Bakgatla-baga-Kgafela people of Botswana, through which a girl enters bosadi (womanhood). I focus on my experiences as an initiate and participant observer in the 2009 ceremony. Bojale has changed from a puberty rite limited to unmarried girls nearing first menarche into an initiation rite for females of any age and status, whether married or unmarried, with children or without. Despite bojale's overt purpose of preparing initiates for womanhood, as echoed in bojale songs, I argue that its recent revival among the Bakgatla-baga-Kgafela follows a pattern indicative of ‘transient culture’ determined by the needs of the paramount chief. The women who have experienced initiation together join a regiment, a social organisation that becomes the chief's practical and symbolic socio-political base. Both revival and abandonment are triggered by royal-related factors and events, in a pattern of repetitive transiency.
Routine++: implementing pre-performance routine in a short time with an artificial success simulator

This study proposes "Routine++," a new technique to implement a pre-performance routine (PPR) in a short period of time by providing a user artificial successful experiences via a simulator. Implementing a PPR, which is the conventional approach for controlling a user's own mental state and improving performance in competitive sport, requires identifying the user's action that results in success. However, implementing PPRs is time-consuming because consistently achieving success in the real world is difficult. Therefore, the proposed technique relates user actions with artificial successes, and lets users perform a PPR in a relatively short time. In this study, we focused on putter golf as a task to evaluate the effectiveness of Routine++ because it requires consistent actions to achieve a good result. We then developed a virtual golf simulator that provides the user false feedback in terms of the user's success at achieving the objectives of golf without a feeling of incongruity. The results of our user study indicate that Routine++ helps to improve the performance of novice golfers playing under pressure. Furthermore, with this work we propose the effectiveness of practicing with computer technology to improve not only technical skills like body movements but also mental skills.
Mortality Prediction in Infants with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: Potential Criteria for ECMO

Over the last ten years the survival of infants born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia who reach the Intensive Care Unit of the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne has been constant at 56±6%. Experimental therapies such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, high-frequency oscillation and lung transplantation are now being considered as therapeutic options, and as such the ability to predict survival or death of these infants is increasingly important. The records of all infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia admitted to the Intensive Care Unit between 1 January 1980 and 30 April 1989 were reviewed; blood gas, ventilatory details, and outcome information was obtained. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to determine the best predictor of death. An oxygenation index (MAP X Fio2/Pao2) > 0.3 or ventilation index (PIP X RR X CO2/1000) > 70 predicted a 94% mortality with a specificity of 96% and a sensitivity of 82%.
Processes of change in an offender personality disorder pathway prison progression unit

BACKGROUND In England, the National Offender Management Service and the NHS have come together to try and improve management and treatment of offenders with personality disorder by developing a pathways approach to assist high-risk male offenders with severe personality disorder. AIM The aim of the study is to investigate service user and staff perceptions of change in this pathway. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 prisoners and 16 staff in one unit in a London-based personality disorder pathway. The four core questions were as follows: (1) what changes do you think have occurred? ; (2) what do you think helped make these changes? ; (3) how do you think this helped change? ; and (4) what hindered positive change? Thematic analysis was applied to the narratives. RESULTS Prisoners and staff separately reported similar changes, each observing that prisoners became less anti-authority, improved their self-understanding, developed feelings of self-worth and increased their optimism about change. There was similar consensus on what they thought had brought about change - primarily development of trusting relationships. These allowed a psychological perspective on understanding prisoners' behaviour. Maintenance of this approach was seen as demanding, with barriers including 'security restrictions' curtailing purposeful activities, visits and community contact and 'stigmatising beliefs about personality disorder' in the wider prison. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Findings suggest that shared goals and progress are achievable. Difficulties in sustaining these will require a range of solutions, but wider support from the prison is essential to containing hostility to such prisoners and specialised work and ensuring the provision of purposeful activity. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Graduation Odds and Probabilities among Baccalaureate Colleges and Universities

Graduation outcomes are analyzed at public and private baccalaureate colleges and universities in the United States. The purpose is to determine the effect of institutional characteristics on a binary indicator of college graduation. The effect of the percentage of Pell grant recipients on graduation outcomes is of primary interest, controlling for other covariates. Institutional characteristics have a major effect on college graduation outcomes. Key institutional variables that appear to have the largest effect on graduation outcomes include percent Pell recipients, private college status, and institutional average SAT scores. College size and expenditures per FTE student have a direct but more moderate relationship to graduation outcomes. Implications for baccalaureate education are discussed.
A Cold-Sensitive Listeria monocytogenes Mutant Has a Transposon Insertion in a Gene Encoding a Putative Membrane Protein and Shows Altered (p)ppGpp Levels

ABSTRACT A cold-sensitive Listeria monocytogenes mutant designated cld-14 was obtained by transposon Tn917 mutagenesis. The gene interrupted by Tn917 in cld-14 was the L. monocytogenes LMOf2365_1485 homolog, which exhibits 45.7% homology to the Bacillus subtilis yqfF locus. LMOf2365_1485, here designated pgpH, encodes a putative integral membrane protein with a predicted molecular mass of 81 kDa. PgpH is predicted to contain a conserved N-terminal signal peptide sequence, seven transmembrane helices, and a hydrophilic C terminus, which likely extends into the cytosol. The Tn917 insertion in pgpH is predicted to result in production of a premature polypeptide truncated at the fifth transmembrane domain. The C terminus of PgpH, which is probably absent in cld-14, contains a highly conserved HD domain that belongs to a metal-dependent phosphohydrolase family. Strain cld-14 accumulated higher levels of (p)ppGpp than the wild type accumulated, indicating that the function of PgpH may be to adjust cellular (p)ppGpp levels during low-temperature growth. The cld-14pgpH+ complemented strain was able to grow at a low temperature, like the parent strain, providing direct evidence that the activity of PgpH is important in low-temperature adaptation. Because of its predicted membrane location, PgpH may play a critical role in sensing the environmental temperature and altering cellular (p)ppGpp levels to allow the organism to adapt to low temperatures.
The Gaussian convolution filter and its application to navigation

A new recursive algorithm, termed as the Gaussian convolution filter (GCF), is proposed for nonlinear dynamic state space models. Based on the convolution filter (CF) and similar to the Gaussian filters, the GCF approximates the posterior density of the states by Gaussian distribution. The analytical results show the ability to deal with complex observation model and small observation noise of the GCF over the Gaussian particle filter (GPF) and the lower complexity, more amenable for parallel implementation than the CF. The Simulation in the terrain aided navigation (TAN) domain demonstrates the excellent performance of the GCF.
The Information Content of Comparative Magazine Ads: A Longitudinal Analysis

A continuing controversy about the role of advertising in society is whether advertising is informative. or merely persuasive.1 Informative advertising is universally seen as good, whereas advertising that persuades without informing is often said to be a waste of society's resources.2 In an effort to increase the amount of information available to consumers through advertising, the Federal Trade Commission in the early 1970s encouraged advertisers to explicitly name competitors rather than making the traditional "Brand X" comparison. ' Since then, a considerable volume of research has examined the incidence and effects of comparative advertising.4