Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
National interests and international collaboration: tensions and ambiguity among Finns towards usages of tissue samples

Recent trends in biobanking indicate that the practices associated with the collection and use of human tissue samples and related health information are increasingly becoming premised on networks of biobanks. These networks and partnerships often involve international collaborations, as well as public–private partnerships. This article reports on the results of a study of people's attitudes towards biobanking and the biomedical use of tissue samples in Finland. Three approaches were used to study these attitudes: a population-based survey, focus group interviews among members of patient organizations and short interviews with research participants. In particular, we look at the attitudes of respondents in these three studies towards the use of tissue samples and use them as a catalyst to discuss two dimensions of biomedical research: public/private and domestic/international. Our discussion highlights how notions of value related to the use of tissue samples vary and provide contrasting perspectives and ambiguity that people may have towards various types of research partnerships and the benefits that may arise from them.
An enhanced distance metric for keystroke dynamics classification

In this paper, the relationship between the distance metrics and the data model was analyzed and a new algorithm for keystroke dynamics classification was proposed. The results of the experiments on the CMU and GREYC keystroke dynamics benchmark and mobile devices datasets were evaluated. The classifiers using the proposed algorithm outperform existing top performing keystroke dynamics classifiers which use traditional approaches.
Solution Structure, Backbone Dynamics, and Stability of a Double Mutant Single-chain Monellin

Single-chain monellin (SCM), which is an engineered 94-residue polypeptide, has been characterized as being as sweet as native two-chain monellin. Data from gel-filtration high performance liquid chromatography and NMR has proven that SCM exists as a monomer in aqueous solution. In order to determine the structural origin of the taste of sweetness, we engineered several mutant SCM proteins by mutating Glu2, Asp7, and Arg39 residues, which are responsible for sweetness. In this study, we present the solution structure, backbone dynamics, and stability of mutant SCM proteins using circular dichroism, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopy. Based on the NMR data, a stable α-helix and five-stranded antiparallel β-sheet were identified for double mutant SCM. Strands β1 and β2 are connected by a small bulge, and the disruption of the first β-strand were observed with SCMDR comprising residues of Ile38–Cys41. The dynamical and folding characteristics from circular dichroism, fluorescence, and backbone dynamics studies revealed that both wild type and mutant proteins showed distinct dynamical as well as stability differences, suggesting the important role of mutated residues in the sweet taste of SCM. Our results will provide an insight into the structural origin of sweet taste as well as the mutational effect in the stability of the engineered sweet protein SCM.
A Mechanism for Ventricular Expansion in Communicating Hydrocephalus Problem

This report investigates a new possible molecular mechanism for the pathogenesis of hydrocephalus. New research by Dr. Miles Johnston [4] has found that the injection of anti β1 integrin antibodies into the ventricle of rats causes a drop in parenchymal pressure and causes the cerebral ventricles to enlarge which is characteristic of hydrocephalus. We investigate intramantle pressure gradients as a possible force to enlarge the ventricles and we propose a new poroelastic model incorporating the effect of the antibodies to determine if they are a possible mechanism for hydrocephalus.
pH modulates the activity and synergism of the airway surface liquid antimicrobials β-defensin-3 and LL-37

Significance Although lungs are continuously bombarded by bacteria, pulmonary defense mechanisms normally keep them sterile. Those defenses include a complex mixture of antimicrobial peptides in the thin layer of liquid coating the airway surface. In cystic fibrosis, impaired bicarbonate secretion causes the airway surface liquid to become abnormally acidic. Here we found that an acidic pH impairs the ability of two key airway antimicrobial peptides, β-defensin-3 and LL-37, to kill bacteria. When these peptides were combined, they exhibited synergistic killing of Staphylococcus aureus, an organism that infects cystic fibrosis lungs. However, an acidic pH reduced their synergistic effect. Thus, an acidic pH impairs an important respiratory defense mechanism and may predispose the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis to bacterial infection. The pulmonary airways are continuously exposed to bacteria. As a first line of defense against infection, the airway surface liquid (ASL) contains a complex mixture of antimicrobial factors that kill inhaled and aspirated bacteria. The composition of ASL is critical for antimicrobial effectiveness. For example, in cystic fibrosis an abnormally acidic ASL inhibits antimicrobial activity. Here, we tested the effect of pH on the activity of an ASL defensin, human β-defensin-3 (hBD-3), and the cathelicidin-related peptide, LL-37. We found that reducing pH from 8.0 to 6.8 reduced the ability of both peptides to kill Staphylococcus aureus. An acidic pH also attenuated LL-37 killing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In addition, we discovered synergism between hBD-3 and LL-37 in killing S. aureus. LL-37 and lysozyme were also synergistic. Importantly, an acidic pH reduced the synergistic effects of combinations of ASL antibacterials. These results indicate that an acidic pH reduces the activity of individual ASL antimicrobials, impairs synergism between them, and thus may disrupt an important airway host defense mechanism.
A sequence based dynamic SOM model for text clustering

Text clustering can be considered as a four step process consisting of feature extraction, text representation, document clustering and cluster interpretation. Most text clustering models consider text as an unordered collection of words. However the semantics of text would be better captured if word sequences are taken into account. In this paper we propose a sequence based text clustering model where four novel sequence based components are introduced in each of the four steps in the text clustering process. Experiments conducted on the Reuters dataset and Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) news archives demonstrate the advantage of the proposed sequence based model, in terms of capturing context with semantics, accuracy and speed, compared to clustering of documents based on single words and n-gram based models.
Adopting Hadith Verification Techniques in to Digital Evidence Authentication

Problem statement: The needs of computer forensics investigators have been directly influenced by the increasing number of crimes performed using computers. It is the responsibility of the investigator to ascertain the authenticity of the collected digital evidence. Without proper classification of digital evidence, the computer forensics investigator may ended up investigating using untrusted digital evidence and ultimately cannot be use to implicate the suspected criminal. Approach: The historical methods of verifying the authenticity of a hadith were studied. The similarities between hadith authentication and digital evidence authentication were identified. Based on the similarities of the identified processes, a new method of authenticating digital evidence was proposed, together with the trust calculation algorithm and evidence classification. Results: The new investigation processes and an algorithm to calculate the trust value of a given digital evidence was proposed. Furthermore, a simple classification of evidence, based on the calculated trust values was also proposed. Conclusion/Recommendations: We had successfully extracted the methods to authenticate hadith and mapped it into the digital evidence authentication processes. The trust values of digital evidence were able to be calculated and the evidence can be further classified based on the different level of trust values. The ability to classify evidence based on trust levels can offer great assistance to the computer forensics investigator to plan their works and focus on the evidence that would give them a better chance of catching the criminals.
DizzyRNN: Reparameterizing Recurrent Neural Networks for Norm-Preserving Backpropagation

The vanishing and exploding gradient problems are well-studied obstacles that make it difficult for recurrent neural networks to learn long-term time dependencies. We propose a reparameterization of standard recurrent neural networks to update linear transformations in a provably norm-preserving way through Givens rotations. Additionally, we use the absolute value function as an element-wise non-linearity to preserve the norm of backpropagated signals over the entire network. We show that this reparameterization reduces the number of parameters and maintains the same algorithmic complexity as a standard recurrent neural network, while outperforming standard recurrent neural networks with orthogonal initializations and Long Short-Term Memory networks on the copy problem.
On the complexity of cooperative peer-to-peer repair for wireless broadcasting

The well-known NAK implosion problem for wireless broadcast can be addressed by leveraging cooperative peer-to-peer connectivity to repair corrupted data. This paper studies the cooperative peer-to-peer repair (CPR) framework for multimedia broadcast. We show that CPR can be formulated as an optimization problem that minimizes the number of iterations it takes to wirelessly disseminate a desired message from peers with the content to peers without it. Complicating the problem are transmission conflicts, where pre-specified sets of links cannot simultaneously transmit due to interference. In this paper, we formalize the CPR minimum delay problem and prove that it is NP-hard
A Neural Network Based Approach to Social Touch Classification

Touch is an important interaction modality in social interaction, for instance touch can communicate emotions and can intensify emotions communicated by other modalities. In this paper we explore the use of Neural Networks for the classification of touch. The exploration and assessment of Neural Networks (NNs) is based on the Corpus of Social Touch established by Jung et al. This corpus was split in a train set (65%) and test set (35%), the train set was used to find the optimal parameters for the NN and for training the final model. Also different feature sets were investigated; the basic feature set included in the corpus, energy-histogram and dynamical features. Using all features led to the best performance of 64% on the test set, using a NN consisting of one hidden layer with 46 neurones. The confusion matrix showed the expected high confusion between pat-tap and grab-squeeze. A leave-one-subject-out approach lead to a performance of 54%, which is comparable with the results of Jung et al.
Olympism and the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in the British and Chinese Media Discourses: A Comparative Study

Olympism has the potential to establish a common ground for tolerance of, and respect for, diversified ideologies. This is indispensable for humanity in the modern world. The 2008 Torch Relay and its representation in the press offers a unique window through which to examine the discursive construction of Olympism by and through the media within the historical and sociopolitical contexts associated with the Games. This paper firstly focuses on the historical development of the Olympic ideology (Olympism) along with the respective mainstream ideologies in China (harmony) and Britain (liberalism). It then attempts to explore the discursive construction of Olympism in the 2008 Torch Relay news coverage by the British and the Chinese media through applying the elaborated analytical approach – corpus-based CDA. This study demonstrates that there are contrasting expressions of Olympism in the media discourse. At a deeper level, this social practice is revealed to be dominated by the mainstream ideologies of the hosting and participating nations that have been entrenched throughout history. The involvement of China in Olympic history and the relevant sociopolitical events surrounding the 2008 Torch Relay are explored. The conclusion reinforces its significant contribution to the study of Olympism in the new era.
An efficient mispronounciation detction method using GLDS-SVM and formant enhanced features

Mispronunciation detection is an important component in computer assisted language learning (CALL) system. In this work, we introduce an efficient GLDS-SVM based detection method, which is successfully used in language and speaker identification systems, and combine it with traditional methods. The main ideas include: extended MFCC features with normalized formant trajectory information, and then propose a novel multi-model strategy for model training to make full use of samples and solve the problem of data unbalance, finally combine GLDS-SVM method with UBM-GMM system to further improve the performance. Experiments show that GLDS-SVM is highly efficient than traditional RBF-SVM, and the fused system can achieve a significant relative improvement of 17.5% in EER reduction, compared with the baseline UBM-GMM system.
The influence of authentic leadership behaviors on trust and work outcomes of health care staff

A key element of a healthy work environment is trust: trust between staff and their leaders. Authentic leadership is proposed as the core of effective leadership needed to build trust because of its clear focus on the positive role modeling of honesty, integrity, and high ethical standards in the development of leader-follower relationships. A model linking authentic leadership behaviors with trust in management, perceptions of supportive groups and work outcomes (including voice or speaking-up behavior, self-rated job performance, and burnout) using secondary analysis procedures was examined. The hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling in two samples of health care employees from a western Canadian cancer care agency: clinical care providers including nurses, pharmacists, physicians, and other professionals (N = 147) and nonclinical employees including administrative, support, and research staff (N = 188). Findings suggest that supportive leader behavior and trust in management are necessary for staff to be willing to voice concerns and offer suggestions to improve the workplace and patient care.
Effects of pulse rate, fundamental frequency and burst density on auditory similarity

Auditory displays are currently used in many medical, automotive and aviation settings. Although there are many existing guidelines for developing effective auditory signals, there is a need for more research considering the interaction between signals within a display, especially when sounds originate from conceptually distinct referent systems. Identifying the parameters that are most relevant to auditory similarity can facilitate acoustic branding and the development of guidelines that ensure signals for different systems are distinct without requiring standardisation. Twenty-seven undergraduate students judged the similarity of a set of abstract sounds varying in tempo, or pulse rate, fundamental frequency and burst density. Results indicate that no single parameter is entirely responsible for determining auditory similarity, but temporal characteristics are most salient. These findings have implications for acoustic branding and suggest that designers intending to ensure perceptual similarity and separation between differentially mapped sounds should manipulate temporal characteristics before frequency or burst density.
Instantaneous heartbeat detection using a cross-correlation based template matching for continuous wave radar systems

Instantaneous heartbeat detection is necessary for an optimal patient monitoring in healthcare centers. Whereas electrocardiogram (ECG) and ballistocardiogram (BCG), for instance, are established methods for real time monitoring nowadays, contact-free systems are appreciated. Herewith, a 24 GHz continuous wave (CW) radar system with an intelligent signal processing is presented. Common heartbeat detection algorithms use the fast Fourier transform (FFT), and therefore require an adequate observation time window and rather detect an averaged heart rate. The proposed algorithm in contrast accomplishes the detection of single heart beats directly in the time domain with an insignificant delay. The core of that algorithm is a template matching using the cross-correlation method. In this paper, after describing the radar system with the novel signal processing, the presented system is compared to a commercial ECG product.
Developing a Procedure to Correct for Range Restriction That Involves Both Institutional Selection and Applicants’ Rejection of Job Offers

A common research problem in validation studies is the estimation of the population correlation between predictor X and performanceY from a non–randomly selected sample. Procedures for getting unbiased estimates of population correlations in a limited set of conditions in which no rejection of job offers is assumed have been developed. However, in applied selection settings, it is very likely that some of the candidates who have received job offers reject them through a selfselection process. If an estimation model based on the assumption that there is no rejection of job offers via self-selection is used, estimates of population parameters may be biased due to model misspecification. In the current study, a procedure is developed that is applicable to a variety of realistic validation settings, including a setting in which both institutional selection and applicant’s rejection of job offers are involved. Data requirements of the procedure are also discussed.
Why do we need (another) special issue on gender and VET?

The Journal of Vocational Education and Training last had a special issue on gender and vocational education and training (VET) in 2006. In the intervening 8 years, the journal has published 264 research papers, of which just 10 - that is, less than 4% - addressed the issue of gender in any substantive way. This is something of a disappointment, as editors always hope that a special issue will provoke increased discussion and debate in the journal about its theme as well as providing a focused resource. Is the problem that, compared to the effects of global labour migration flows, constantly rising youth unemployment figures or emerging skills gaps in an aging society, gender issues have lost their relevance as just one category of social inequalities among many others? This can hardly be the case, since it is obviously a most thorough-going and persistent one. Despite over 30 years of gender studies, and numerous policy initiatives to address gender inequalities, gender segregation persists in VET as well as in the labour market. Women still earn less, hold the majority of part-time contracts, tend to be stereotyped into caring and personal service work, and are largely under-represented in leadership positions. Is the problem then that there is nothing new to be said about gender and VET? We do not agree that that is the case either: gender injustice remains a central issue in VET and the labour market; and as the social, political and economic landscape changes rapidly in today's world, it is inevitable that gender inequalities are produced and reproduced in new and different ways. So we felt the need to call once again for a collection of papers dedicated specifically to this topic, and one that would reflect this evolution.
‘It’s important for me not to let go of hope’: Psychologists’ in-session experiences of hope

Helping professionals are often expected to have a ready and limitless supply of hope. However, novice and experienced psychologists alike recognize the challenge of maintaining hope when working with difficult presenting problems and demoralized clients. As professionals, to hold hope in session while witnessing our clients’ hopelessness and experiencing our own can be very difficult. The importance of client hope is well recognized in psychotherapy research, yet research exploring psychologists’ own experiences of hope has been neglected. This study, part of a larger program of research on hope in psychological practice, invited psychologists to reflect on their experiences of hope in practice. Interpersonal Process Recall allowed psychologist-participants to view playback of their video-recorded session and reflect on their in-session experiences of hope. Using basic interpretive inquiry, this case study identified categories of: (a) psychologist self-influence on hope, (b) client-specific factors relating to psychologist hope, and (c) psychologist hope experienced in the therapeutic relationship. Implications for practice include encouraging psychologist self-awareness about hope, recognizing that psychologist hope can fluctuate naturally in session, encouraging psychologist hopeful self-care, and seeing psychologist hope as providing therapeutic information.
The ABCDE Format Enabling Semantic Conference Proceedings

– We believe that the best way to present a narrative to a computer is to let the author explicitly create a rich semantic structure for the article during writing. – We propose an open-standard, widely (re)useable format, the ABCDE format for proceedings and workshop contributions that can be easily mined, integrated and consumed by semantic browsers and wikis. – There need not be an abstract in an ABCDE document instead, the author denotes core sentences within the B,C and D sections, which are compiled through a macro to form a structured abstract. – We believe a LTEX stylesheet provides a suitable input format for providing authors with a semantic structure to work from. – We provide the abcde.sty LTEX file as an appendix to this paper. – Macros are provided to specify Dublin Core Elements, and to print a list of those that are specified. – Our section division into Background, Contribution, and Discussion is backed by a number of emperical studies. – We aim to work on different incarnations of this format and open it up to modification and development.