Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Collegiate Athletic Participation a Protective Factor in Seasonality

This study investigated seasonality in male and female college athletes and nonathletes. Given the literature on activity level and its positive impact on mood, it was predicted that athletes would benefit more than nonathletes with regards to seasonal symptoms. Participants completed measures of seasonality, depression, and cognitive processes during a winter month. Multiple measures of seasonality were administered to distinguish seasonal depression symptoms from nonseasonal symptoms. Results indicated that nonathletes reported more seasonal symptoms, seasonal attitudes, and rumination, gained more weight, socialized the least, and slept more than athletes. Female nonathletes reported the most impact from the changing seasons and more negative thoughts about the changing seasons. These results indicate that engaging in collegiate athletics may serve as a protective factor in seasonal depression.
Aggregation in a Model of Price Competition

In a model of price competition single-product ¯rms compete for consumers. Consumerspurchase a variable quantity of one of the di®erentiated goods. The paper provides results onequilibrium existence when consumers are heterogeneous in their evaluation of the di®erentiatedgoods among each other, their evaluation of the di®erentiated goods relative to the outside good,and heterogeneous in income. Furthermore, I provide su±cient conditions for dominance solvabilityand monotone comparative statics.
A validity-based approach to quality control and assurance of automated scoring

Automated scoring of constructed responses is already operational in several testing programmes. However, as the methodology matures and the demand for the utilisation of constructed responses increases, the volume of automated scoring is likely to increase at a fast pace. Quality assurance and control of the scoring process will likely be more prominent as a result. A validity-based approach to ensure the quality of scores based on automated means is proposed. First, an argument is made for aligning quality assurance/control with validity, rather than viewing them as separate processes. Second, to pre-emptively avoid quality and design defects that would erode the validity of scores, it is argued that quality must be ‘designed in’ through the assessment design process by attending to the interdependencies among the different components of an assessment, including scoring. Third, key elements of the design of scoring engines, evidence extraction and evidence synthesis, are discussed as a further avenue for maintaining score quality.
The relationship between the severity of hemolysis, clinical manifestations and risk of death in 415 patients with sickle cell anemia in the US and Europe

The intensity of hemolytic anemia has been proposed as an independent risk factor for the development of certain clinical complications of sickle cell disease, such as pulmonary hypertension, hypoxemia and cutaneous leg ulceration. A composite variable derived from several individual markers of hemolysis could facilitate studies of the underlying mechanisms of hemolysis. In this study, we assessed the association of hemolysis with outcomes in sickle cell anemia. A hemolytic component was calculated by principal component analysis from reticulocyte count, serum lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin concentrations in 415 hemoglobin SS patients. Association of this component with direct markers of hemolysis and clinical outcomes was assessed. As primary validation, both plasma red blood cell microparticles and cell-free hemoglobin concentration were higher in the highest hemolytic component quartile compared to the lowest quartile (P≤0.0001 for both analyses). The hemolytic component was lower with hydroxyurea therapy, higher hemoglobin F, and alpha-thalassemia (P≤0.0005); it was higher with higher systemic pulse pressure, lower oxygen saturation, and greater values for tricuspid regurgitation velocity, left ventricular diastolic dimension and left ventricular mass (all P<0.0001). Two-year follow-up analysis showed that a high hemolytic component was associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio, HR 3.44; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.2–9.5; P=0.02). The hemolytic component reflects direct markers of intravascular hemolysis in patients with sickle cell disease and allows for adjusted analysis of associations between hemolytic severity and clinical outcomes. These results confirm associations between hemolytic rate and pulse pressure, oxygen saturation, increases in Doppler-estimated pulmonary systolic pressures and mortality (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00492531).
Symmetry Breaking: Satisficing Planning and Landmark Heuristics

Searching for computational tools that can further push the boundary of satisficing planning, we show that reasoning about state-space symmetries can substantially improve even the most effective heuristic-search satisficing planners, with respect to all standard performance measures. The improvement comes from the state-space pruning, as well as from transparent cost-to-state updates and heuristic enhancement by information obtained during the search at different symmetric states.
Typing dynamic typing

Even when programming in a statically typed language we every now and then encounter statically untypable values; such values result from interpreting values or from communicating with the outside world. To cope with this problem most languages include some form of dynamic types. It may be that the core language has been explicitly extended with such a type, or that one is allowed to live dangerously by using functions like unsafeCoerce. We show how, by a careful use of existentially and universally quantified types, one may achievem the same effect, without extending the language with new or unsafe features. The techniques explained are universally applicable, provided the core language is expressive enough; this is the case for the common implementations of Haskell. The techniques are used in the description of a type checking compiler that, starting from an expression term, constructs a typed function representing the semantics of that expression. In this function the overhead associated with the type checking is only once being paid for; in this sense we have thus achieved static type checking.
Classification of Psychopathology

Many have criticized the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), and few regard it as a vehicle of truth, yet its most serious limitation is that its frank operationism in defining manifest categories has distracted attention from theories about what is going on at the latent level. We sketch a Generalized Interpersonal Theory of Personality and Psychopathology and apply it to interpersonal aspects of depression to illustrate how structural individual differences combine with functional dynamic processes to cause interpersonal behavior and affect. Such a causal account relies on a realist ontology in which manifest diagnoses are only a means to learning about the latent distribution, whether categorical or dimensional. Comorbidity of DSM diagnoses suggests that dimensionality will be the rule, not the exception, with internalization and externalization describing common diagnoses.
School characteristics, school academic indicators and student outcomes: implications for policies to improve schools

This study investigated the relationship between school environmental characteristics (e.g., student background, school size, school level) and school academic indicators (e.g., attitudes toward knowledge and achievement, staff professional development) that are useful in explaining the types of outcomes that are produced. School academic indicators appear to be enabling or constraining factors that shape both in‐school processes and a variety of outcomes produced. Monitoring the school's context, therefore, may provide useful information to policy‐makers about why schools produce certain outcomes. The sample included all elementary, intermediate and high schools (n = 235) in one state in the western USA. A series of regression equations indicated that many observed differences among schools are due to background characteristics of students and the demographic variables of the schools that they attend. After controlling for many of these differences, however, the school's press for achievement through cur.
Ruminations on Smell as a Sociocultural Phenomenon

This article looks at arguments concerning the supposed low status of smell in relation to the other senses to shed light on how smell has been perceived historically, across time. It also locates olfactory enquiries beyond scientific, biological concerns and argues for smell as a social medium present in our everyday life experiences. The article explores smell in the fields of history, anthropology, religion, gender and sociospatial analysis, enabling us to comprehend and critique theoretical/conceptual trajectories employed in social science research on olfaction. By looking at theoretical and methodological approaches towards an understanding of our olfactory capacities, ideas are developed about how one can ‘do’ a sociology of smell, where smell is perceived as a social intermediary that affects our ways of knowing, understanding and (re)creating social realities, premised upon the use of smell as a moral judgement of others. These ideas are exemplified through preliminary findings from an ongoing research project on the social construction(s) of smell in Singapore.
Contrasting mtDNA diversity and population structure in a direct‐developing marine gastropod and its trematode parasites

The comparative genetic structure of hosts and their parasites has important implications for their coevolution, but has been investigated in relatively few systems. In this study, we analysed the genetic structure and diversity of the New Zealand intertidal snail Zeacumantus subcarinatus (n = 330) and two of its trematode parasites, Maritrema novaezealandensis (n = 269) and Philophthalmus sp. (n = 246), using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) sequences. Snails and trematodes were examined from 11 collection sites representing three regions on the South Island of New Zealand. Zeacumantus subcarinatus displayed low genetic diversity per geographic locality, strong genetic structure following an isolation by distance pattern, and low migration rates at the scale of the study. In contrast, M. novaezealandensis possessed high genetic diversity, genetic homogeneity among collection sites and high migration rates. Genetic diversity and migration rates were typically lower for Philophthalmus sp. compared to M. novaezealandensis and it displayed weak to moderate genetic structure. The observed patterns likely result from the limited dispersal ability of the direct developing snail and the utilization of bird definitive hosts by the trematodes. In addition, snails may occasionally experience long‐distance dispersal. Discrepancies between trematode species may result from differences in their effective population sizes and/or life history traits.
Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibition is a novel therapeutic option in Raynaud disease.

BACKGROUND Raynaud disease (RD) is a common disorder affecting 3% to 5% of the healthy population, and occurs in more than 90% of patients with connective tissue diseases. The therapeutic options remain limited, particularly in patients with secondary RD due to connective tissue disease. Theoretical considerations lead to the expectation that phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors may improve clinical symptoms and digital blood flow in patients with RD. METHODS We conducted an open-label pilot study in 40 patients with RD, 33 (82%) of whom had secondary and 7 (18%) of whom had primary RD. Digital blood flow was measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry at room temperature and during the cold-exposure test before medical treatment, 1 hour after the initial intake, and after 2 weeks of continuous treatment (10 mg twice a day) with the novel phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor vardenafil. Clinical symptoms were recorded by a patient questionnaire and summarized as the Raynaud condition score. RESULTS Laser-Doppler flowmetry revealed that vardenafil improved digital blood flow in 28 (70%) patients, whereas 12 (30%) did not respond. In individuals responding, digital blood flow significantly increased by a mean +/- SEM of 21.0% +/- 4.9% and 30.0% +/- 5.7% at 1 hour and 2 weeks of treatment at room temperature, respectively, and by 18.8% +/- 4.4% and 35.1% +/- 7.5% at 1 hour and 2 weeks during the cold-exposure test, respectively (P < .01 for all). Consistently, clinical symptoms improved in 27 (68%) of the 40 patients, and the Raynaud condition score declined from a mean +/- SEM of 5.05 +/- 0.38 to 3.54 +/- 0.31 (P < .001). CONCLUSION Our data indicate that phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibition significantly improves peripheral blood flow and clinical symptoms in a large subset of patients with RD and, thus, may provide a novel therapeutic approach in such individuals.
RelaViz : Graph Visualization of Learned Relations Between Entities

RelaViz is a tool for graphically visualizing the behaviour of relational learning algorithms. Its purpose is to help algorithm designers view and probe the sometimes hidden activity of an algorithm, to allow them to assess its performance. The class of relational learning algorithms considered form relations between entities. This relational data is in the form of triplets, (e, r, e), where e represents the left entity, r represents the relation, and e represents the right entity. Given a list of entities, E, relations, R, and training relational triplets, X, the relational learning algorithm learns new relational triplets. Associated with each new triplet is a degree of confidence of the algorithm that the new relation is correct. The RelaViz tool allows designers to view the identity of new relations formed between entities, as well as the algorithm’s associated measure of confidence that these new asserted relations are correct. Webs of relations and entities can be large, however, and this necessitates targeted viewing of the relational data space. RelaViz is specifically designed to leverage properties that the algorithm designer is interested in, to target viewing of relations the algorithm has learned, while still having enough flexibility to explore the entire space of entities and relations if they choose. Furthermore, RelaViz allows the designer to view the progress of their algorithm in learning new relations – this is important because the class of relational learning algorithms considered are executed for a designer-specified, fixed number of iterations. RelaViz could help the designer determine when the algorithm is done the learning process.
Impedance-Based Analysis of Grid-Synchronization Stability for Three-Phase Paralleled Converters

Grid synchronization stability issues and subsynchronous oscillations between synchronous generators exist in electrical power systems. Three-phase voltage-source converters (VSCs) are being installed more and more in the grid to improve efficiency or to utilize renewable energy sources. The same stability issues between VSCs are also reported and analyzed using a small-signal model of phase-locked loops (PLLs). This paper proposes a different impedance-based analysis method. The proposed method shows that synchronization instability in a VSC system is due to the negative incremental resistance behavior of grid-tied inverters' impedance when they are modeled in the d-q frame. System can be stabilized simply by changing the inverter's PLL design. Experimental results verify the analysis and the proposed method.
Molecular structure and evolution of an alpha satellite / non-alpha satellite junction at 16 p 11

We have determined the detailed molecular structure and evolution of an alpha satellite junction from human chromosome 16p11. The analysis reveals that the alpha satellite sequence bordering the transition lacks higher-order structure and that the non-alpha satellite portion consists of a mosaic of duplicated segments of complex evolutionary origin. The 16p11 junction was formed recently (5–10 million years ago) by the duplication and transposition of genomic segments from Xq28 and 4q24. Once this mosaic structure was formed, a larger complex was spread among multiple pericentromeric regions. This resulted in the formation of large (>62 kb) paralogous segments that share a high degree (~97%) of sequence similarity. Both phylogenetic and comparative analyses indicate that these pericentromericdirected duplications occurred around the time of the divergence of the human, gorilla and chimpanzee lineages, resulting in the subtle restructuring of the primate genome among these species. The available data suggest that such chimeric structures are a general property of several different human chromosomes near their alpha satellite junctions.
An Empirical Comparison of Potential Determinants of Parental Authority.

Four basic determinants of parental authority are suggested: (a) socialization of the child in acceptance of the superordinate nature of the position of parent; (b) socialstructural specification of the position of offspring; (c) the offspring's perceptions of the parent's personal ability and worthiness; and (d) availability of alternative relationships for the offspring. Hypotheses are tested using questionnaire data from 3,641 sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth grade students. Acceptance of parental authority is associated most strongly with offspring's perceptions of parental expertise and benefits received from parents. The findings suggest that the "personal" relationship between parent and offspring is an important determinant of parental authority.
DT-CWT Based Block Nonlinear De-Noising

For image denoising, Block thresholding is considered to be a better strategy than the term-by-term thresholding. There are number of Wavelet based thresholding techniques for image denoising such as VisuShrink, BayesShrink, SureShrink, NeighShrink, BiShrink, ProbShrink, Sure-LET and BlockShrink. Selesnick has extended the BiShrink method to DT-CWT and he has shown that the DT-CWT achieves better results than DWT for image denoising. Dengwen and Xiaoliu have shown that BlockShrink enjoys a number of advantages over the other conventional image denoising methods. Their experimental results show that BlockShrink outperforms significantly classic SureShrink method and NeighShrink method. In this paper we extend BlockShrink approach to DT-CWT and compare it with the BiShrink approach proposed by Selesnick. We have analysed these methods of noise removal from degraded images with Gaussian noise and compared the results in term of PSNR.
Diffusion estimation of mixture models with local and global parameters

The state-of-art methods for distributed estimation of mixtures assume the existence of a common mixture model. In many practical situations, this assumption may be too restrictive, as a subset of parameters may be purely local, e.g., if the numbers of observable components differ across the network. To reflect this issue, we propose a new online Bayesian method for simultaneous estimation of local parameters, and diffusion estimation of global parameters. The algorithm consists of two steps. First, the nodes perform local estimation from own observations by means of factorized prior/posterior distributions. Second, a diffusion optimization step is used to merge the nodes' global parameters estimates. A simulation example demonstrates improved performance in estimation of both parameters sets.
What We Desire, What We Have Reason to Desire, Whatever We Might Desire: Mill and Sen on the Value of Opportunity

I compare Mill's and Sen's accounts of the value of opportunity, focusing on a tension between two ideas they both uphold: that individual freedom is an important component of well-being, and that, because desires can be adaptive, actual desire is not always a good indicator of what will give well-being. The two writers' responses to this tension reflect different understandings of the relationship between freedom and desire. Sen links an individual's well-being to her freedom to choose what she has reason to desire, and looks to a democratic political process for a collective judgement about what it is rational to desire. Mill links the individual's well-being to her freedom to act on her own desires, whatever they may be, within the constraints imposed by a fair initial distribution of resources. He sees no need for collective judgement about what is ultimately valuable in human life. I side with Mill.
Trademarks in the linguistic landscape: methodological and theoretical challenges in qualifying brand names in the public space

Abstract In the last few decades, investigations into the linguistic landscape (LL) have sought to analyse written language practices as they are observable in public space. Whilst the LL analysis of language choice in given contexts has opened a host of possibilities for scientific enquiry in the field, the methodologies employed in the collection and categorisation of written signs is still controversial. This paper addresses a specific aspect of the question by discussing brand names in the urban space and seeking to identify a framework for a linguistic classification of brand names. The authors indicate a way forward for future research that draws upon work undertaken in disciplines such as marketing and social psychology, emphasising that brand names should not be excluded from the analysis of the LL as this would amount to denying the linguistic impact of trademarks on individuals and groups in our globalised world.
Package routability- and IR-drop-aware finger/pad assignment in chip-package co-design

Due to increasing complexity of design interactions between the chip, package and PCB, it is essential to consider them at the same time. Specifically the finger/pad locations affect the performance of the chip and the package significantly. In this paper, we have developed techniques in chip-package codesign to decide the locations of fingers/pads for package routability and signal integrity concerns in chip core design. Our finger/pad assignment is a two-step method: first we optimize the wire congestion problem in package routing, and then we try to minimize the IR-drop violation with finger/pad solution refinement. The experimental results are encouraging. Compared with the randomly optimized methods, our approaches reduce in average 42% and 68% of the maximum density in package and 10.61% of IR-drop for test circuits.
Automated application offloading through ant-inspired decision-making

The explosive trend of smartphone usage as the most effective and convenient communication tools of human life in recent years make developers build ever more complex smartphone applications. Gaming, navigation, video editing, augmented reality, and speech recognition applications require considerable computational power and energy. Although smartphones have a wide range of capabilities - GPS, WiFi, cameras their inherent limitations - frequent disconnections, mobility - and significant constraints - size, lower weights, longer battery life make difficult to exploiting their full potential to run complex applications. Several research works have proposed solutions in application offloading domain, but few ones concerning the highly changing properties of the environment. To address these issues, we realize an automated application offloading middleware, ACOMMA, with dynamic and re-adaptable decision-making engine. The decision engine of ACOMMA is based on an ant-inspired algorithm.