Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Discerning Identity: A Grounded Theory of International Muslim and Former Muslim Students' Shifts in Religious and Cultural Identity at Two Midwestern Universities

Bruce Collet, Advisor This study examines the shifts of international Muslim students’ religious and/or cultural identity as they studied at one of two Midwestern universities. This study uses an inductive approach to analyze interview data for the purpose of answering the central question: What are the shifts international Muslim students are experiencing in regards to their Muslim and/or cultural identity? And, the following sub-questions are addressed: What is contributing to international Muslim students’ shifts in Muslim and/or cultural identity? What are the implications of these shifts? Using a grounded theory approach, these questions are answered using inductively arrived at axial categories, which include independence, exposure, and questioning, and a central category of discernment. The categories resulted from the participants’ data, and help understand what shifts international Muslim students are experiencing. Additionally, these categories help to understand what is contributing to these shifts, and what the implications of these shifts are. Open-ended, semi-structured interviews were conducted with international Muslim and former Muslim students who were studying, or had studied at one of the two chosen universities. These participants were selected as a result of their status as international students, in addition to their Muslim or former Muslim identities. The results of the study revealed that many of the participants did experience a shift in their Muslim and/or cultural identity while studying at one of the two Midwestern universities. Furthermore, the results showed that many of the participants’ shifts in their Muslim and/or cultural identity, were a result of studying at one of the two universities. The participants who experienced a shift in their Muslim and/or cultural identity appeared to all share in a similar
The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration

More than 40 million people living in the United States were born in other countries, and almost an equal number have at least one foreign-born parent. Together, immigrants and their children comprise almost one in four Americans. As employees, to what extent are immigrants complementing or displacing native-born workers? As workers, entrepreneurs, and innovators, to what extent are they contributing to economic growth? And what impacts are they having on federal, state, and local budgets?
Homology among Escherichia coli K1 and K92 polysialytransferases

The neuS-encoded polysialytransferase (polyST) in Escherichia coli K1 catalyzes synthesis of polysialic acid homopolymers composed of unbranched sialyl alpha 2,8 linkages. Subcloning and complementation experiments showed that the K1 neuS was functionally interchangeable with the neuS from E. coli K92 (S. M. Steenbergen, T. J. Wrona, and E. R. Vimr, J. Bacteriol. 174:1099-1108, 1992), which synthesizes polysialic acid capsules with alternating sialyl alpha 2,8-2,9 linkages. To better understand the relationship between these polySTs, the complete K92 neuS sequence was determined. The results demonstrated that K1 and K92 neuS genes are homologous and indicated that the K92 copy may have evolved from its K1 homolog. Both K1 and K92 structural genes comprised 1,227 bp. There were 156 (12.7%) differences between the two sequences; among these mutations, 55 did not affect the derived primary structure of K92 polyST and hence were synonymous with the K1 sequence. Assuming maximum parsimony, another estimated 17 synonymous mutations plus 84 nonsynonymous mutations could account for the 70 amino acid replacements in K92 polyST; 36 of these replacements were judged to be conservative when compared with those of K1 polyST. There were no changes detected in the first 146 5' or last 129 3' bp of either gene, suggesting, in addition to the observed mutational differences, the possibility of a past recombination event between neuS loci of two different kps clusters. The results indicate that relatively few amino acid changes can account for the evolution of a glycosyltransferase with novel linkage specificity.
Co‐activator activator (CoAA) prevents the transcriptional activity of Runt domain transcription factors

Runx proteins are essential for a number of developmental processes and are aberrantly expressed in many human cancers. Runx factors bind DNA and co‐factors to activate or repress genes crucial for bone formation, hematopoiesis, and neuronal development. Co‐activator activator (CoAA) is a nuclear protein that regulates gene expression, RNA splicing and is overexpressed in many human tumors. In this study, we identified CoAA as a Runx2 binding protein. CoAA repressed Runx factor‐dependent activation of reporter genes in a histone deacetylase‐independent manner. CoAA also blocked Runx2‐mediated repression of the Axin2 promoter, a novel Runx target gene. The carboxy‐terminus of CoAA is essential for binding the Runt domains of Runx1 and Runx2. In electophoretic mobility shift assays, CoAA inhibited Runx2 interactions with DNA. These data indicate that CoAA is an inhibitor of Runx factors and can negate Runx factor regulation of gene expression. CoAA is expressed at high levels in human fetal osteoblasts and osteosarcoma cell lines. Suppression of CoAA expression by RNA interference reduced osteosarcoma cell viability in vitro, suggesting that it contributes to the proliferation and/or survival of osteoblast lineage cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 378–387, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Particle Swarm Optimization for Multi-response Parameter Optimization Based on Desirability Functions

In order to solve the multi-response parameter optimization problem faced by manufacture industry, particle swarm optimization was employed to find the maxima of the desirability function. By designing the experiment of central composite design, analyzing and testing significance of the polynomial models, constructing desirability function and finding the best factor levels based on the fitness function, we may obtain the model that can solve the optimization problem rationally. This paper employs a numerical example for illustration, and achieved with objective value 0.4377 in iteration less than 10. Empirical results reveal that the PSO algorithm based on desirability functions has powerful global search ability and high convergence on solve the optimization problem.
Varicose veins in a Finnish population aged 40-60.

STUDY OBJECTIVE--To assess the prevalence and the extent of treatment of varicose veins in a Finnish population. DESIGN--A prevalence study in a defined cohort was performed by using a mailed questionnaire. The method's validity was tested in a random sample of 166 individuals who were studied clinically. SUBJECTS--In 1989 a questionnaire was mailed to every resident born in 1929, 1939, and 1949 who was living in Tampere, the second largest town in Finland. The eligible population comprised 3284 men and 3590 women. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--The response rate was 75% in men and 86% in women. Both the sensitivity and specificity of the self assessed diagnosis were 0.92. The life time prevalence of varicose veins was 18% for men and 32% for women, with an increasing prevalence in relation to age. Twenty five per cent of the men and 41% of the women who reported varicose veins had received treatment. CONCLUSIONS--Self reporting of varicose veins by mailed questionnaire was a relatively valid method. The prevalence of varicose veins was high in the population studied, and the disease is more common in women than men. Moreover, the prevalence increased with age. The results are comparable with other western populations. Preventive methods are needed because treatment alone seems to be inadequate in the control of varicose veins.
The Construction of Candidate’s Political Image on Social Media: A Thematic Analysis of Facebook Comments in the 2014 Presidential Election in Indonesia

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Problem Statement . 1 CHAPTER TWO: HOW VOTERS CONSTRUCT IMAGES OF CANDIDATES Public Opinion . 6 The Role of Social Media in Public Opinion Formation . 11 The Role of Facebook in Election . 14 Candidates Images and Elections . 20 CHAPTER THREE: THE 2014 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN INDONESIA . 29 The Dynamic of the 2014 Indonesia Presidential Election . 33 The Role of Social Media in Election in Indonesia . 36 CHAPTER FOUR: METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH Epistemological Approach . 43 Sample . 43 Analytical Stance: Thick Description . 46 Thematic Analysis . 48 CHAPTER FIVE: THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF CANDIDATE IMAGE CONSTRUCTION Candidate Image and The Construction of National Identity . 54 Candidate Image and Group Identity . 67 The Construction of Candidate Image Based on Personal Traits . 78 Political Scandal and The Candidate’s Character . 82
Adaptive and reconfigurable bubble routing technique for 2D Torus interconnection networks

Networks with torus interconnection topology are widely used due to the symmetry in traffic distribution. In order to ensure deadlock-freedom and provide adaptive routing in torus, at least two Virtual Channels (VCs) per physical channel are required to break the cyclic channel dependencies. However, VCs increase the arbitration latency and consume large power/area overheads which is undesirable, particularly for on-chip networks with limited power/area budgets. In this paper, we propose a novel technique for routing in wormhole-switched 2D torus networks. The proposed method relies on the Abacus Turn Model (AbTM) and Worm-Bubble Flow Control (WBFC) to support adaptive and deadlock-free routing without using VCs. Furthermore, the network blocking is reduced by providing on-demand routing adaptiveness through reconfiguration. The experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed scheme in terms of performance and hardware overhead.
Replication termini in the rDNA of synchronized pea root cells (Pisum sativum)

In synchronized root cells of Pisum sativum (cv. Alaska) the joining of nascent replicons is delayed until cells reach the S–G2 boundary or early G2 phase. To determine if the delayed ligation of nascent chains occurs at specific termination sites, we mapped the location of arrested forks in the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeats from cells in late S and G2 phases. Two‐dimensional (neutral‐alkaline) agarose electrophoresis and Southern blot hybridization with specific rDNA sequences show that only cells located at the S–G2 boundary and early G2 phase produce alkali‐released rDNA fragments of discrete size. The released fragments are from a particular restriction fragment, demonstrating that the replication forks stop non‐randomly within the rDNA repeats. Indirect end‐labeling with probes homologous to one or the other end of the fork‐containing restriction fragment shows that there are two termination regions, T1 and T2, where forks stop. T1 is located in the non‐transcribed spacer and T2 is at the junction between the non‐transcribed spacer and the 18S gene. The two termini are separated by ˜1.3 kb. Replication forks stop at identical sites in both the 8.6‐ and 9.0‐kb rDNA repeat size classes indicating that these sites are sequence determined.
Fall-detection through vertical velocity thresholding using a tri-axial accelerometer characterized using an optical motion-capture system

Falls in the elderly population are a major problem for today's society. The immediate automatic detection of such events would help reduce the associated consequences of falls. This paper describes the development of an accurate, accelerometer-based fall detection system to distinguish between Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and falls. It has previously been shown that falls can be distinguished from normal ADL through vertical velocity thresholding using an optical motion capture system. In this study however accurate vertical velocity profiles of the trunk were generated by simple signal processing of the signals from a tri-axial accelerometer (TA).
SkyShield: A Sketch-Based Defense System Against Application Layer DDoS Attacks

Application layer distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks have become a severe threat to the security of web servers. These attacks evade most intrusion prevention systems by sending numerous benign HTTP requests. Since most of these attacks are launched abruptly and severely, a fast intrusion prevention system is desirable to detect and mitigate these attacks as soon as possible. In this paper, we propose an effective defense system, named SkyShield, which leverages the sketch data structure to quickly detect and mitigate application layer DDoS attacks. First, we propose a novel calculation of the divergence between two sketches, which alleviates the impact of network dynamics and improves the detection accuracy. Second, we utilize the abnormal sketch to facilitate the identification of malicious hosts of an ongoing attack. This improves the efficiency of SkyShield by avoiding the reverse calculation of malicious hosts. We have developed a prototype of SkyShield and carefully evaluated its effectiveness using real attack data collected from a large-scale web cluster. The experimental results show that SkyShield can quickly reduce malicious requests, while posing a limited impact on normal users.
Non‐State Actors and the New Intergovernmentalism

This research note responds to recent debates about new intergovernmentalism and argues that the hypotheses of Bickerton, Hodson and Puetter overlook the roles non-state actors play in the integration process. It intends to open up a debate about private power and the new intergovernmentalism, demonstrating that the concentration of powers of national governments has proceeded alongside the concentration of powers of transnational business interests in Europe. The note draws on the example of the civil security industry and Justice and Home Affairs policies in order to modify the six hypotheses of new intergovernmentalism.
Variance estimation for complex surveys using replication techniques

The analysis of survey data requires the application of special methods to deal appropriately with the effects of the sample design on the properties of estimators and test statistics. The class of replication techniques represents one approach to handling this problem. This paper discusses the use of these techniques for estimating sampling variances, and the use of such variance estimates in drawing inferences from survey data. The techniques of the jackknife, balanced repeated replication (balanced half-samples), and the bootstrap are described, and the properties of these methods are summarized. Several examples from the literature of the use of replication in analysing large complex surveys are outlined.
Interleukin 2 receptor antagonists for kidney transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND Interleukin 2 receptor antagonists (IL2Ra) are used as induction therapy for prophylaxis against acute rejection in kidney transplant recipients. Use of IL2Ra has increased steadily, with 38% of new kidney transplant recipients in the United States, and 23% in Australasia receiving IL2Ra in 2002. OBJECTIVES This study aims to systematically identify and summarise the effects of using an IL2Ra, as an addition to standard therapy, or as an alternative to other antibody therapy. SEARCH STRATEGY The Cochrane Renal Group's specialised register (June 2003), the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (in The Cochrane Library issue 3, 2002), MEDLINE (1966-November 2002) and EMBASE (1980-November 2002). Reference lists and abstracts of conference proceedings and scientific meetings were hand-searched from 1998-2003. Trial groups, authors of included reports and drug manufacturers were contacted. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in all languages comparing IL2Ra to placebo, no treatment, other IL2Ra or other antibody therapy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data was extracted and quality assessed independently by two reviewers, with differences resolved by discussion. Dichotomous outcomes are reported as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). MAIN RESULTS One hundred and seventeen reports from 38 trials involving 4893 participants were included. Where IL2Ra were compared with placebo (17 trials; 2786 patients), graft loss was not significantly different at one (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.04) or three years (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.22). Acute rejection (AR) was significantly reduced at six months (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.74) and at one year (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.75). At one year, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.03) and malignancy (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.36) were not significantly different. Where IL2Ra were compared with other antibody therapy no significant differences in treatment effects were demonstrated, but adverse effects strongly favoured IL2Ra. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS Given a 40% risk of rejection, seven patients would need treatment with IL2Ra to prevent one patient having rejection, with no definite improvement in graft or patient survival. There is no apparent difference between basiliximab and daclizumab. IL2Ra are as effective as other antibody therapies and with significantly fewer side effects
NEDD4-2 and salt-sensitive hypertension

Purpose of reviewNEDD4-2 is an ubiquitin-protein ligase that was originally identified as an interactor of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC); this interaction is defective in Liddle's syndrome, causing elevated ENaC activity and salt-sensitive hypertension. In this review we aim to highlight progress achieved in recent years demonstrating that NEDD4-2 is involved in the control of Na+ transporters that are different from ENaC, but which also play a role in salt-sensitive hypertension. Recent findingsIt has been shown that NEDD4-2 interacts with ubiquitylates and negatively regulates the thiazide-sensitive NCC (Na+,Cl--cotransporter), both in vitro and in vivo in inducible, nephron-specific Nedd4-2 knockout mice. Moreover, evidence has been provided that NEDD4-2 is also involved in the regulation of human NHE3 (Na+,H+-exchanger 3) and NKCC2 (Na+,K+,2Cl--cotransporter 2). SummaryThe emerging role of NEDD4-2 in the regulation of different Na+ transporters along the nephron and the identification of human polymorphisms in the NEDD4-2 gene (Nedd4L) related to salt-sensitive hypertension makes this ubiquitin-protein ligase an interesting target for the development of antihypertensive drugs.
“On the job” learning: A bioinformatics course incorporating undergraduates in actual research projects and manuscript submissions

The sequencing of whole genomes and the analysis of genetic information continues to fundamentally change biological and medical research. Unfortunately, the people best suited to interpret this data (biologically trained researchers) are commonly discouraged by their own perceived computational limitations. To address this, we developed a course to help alleviate this constraint. Remarkably, in addition to equipping our undergraduates with an informatic toolset, we found our course design helped prepare our students for collaborative research careers in unexpected ways. Instead of simply offering a traditional lecture‐ or laboratory‐based course, we chose a guided inquiry method, where an instructor‐selected research question is examined by students in a collaborative analysis with students contributing to experimental design, data collection, and manuscript reporting. While students learn the skills needed to conduct bioinformatic research throughout all sections of the course, importantly, students also gain experience in working as a team and develop important communication skills through working with their partner and the class as a whole, and by contributing to an original research article. Remarkably, in its first three semesters, this novel computational genetics course has generated 45 undergraduate authorships across three peer‐reviewed articles. More importantly, the students that took this course acquired a positive research experience, newfound informatics technical proficiency, unprecedented familiarity with manuscript preparation, and an earned sense of achievement. Although this course deals with analyses of genetic systems, we suggest the basic concept of integrating actual research projects into a 16‐week undergraduate course could be applied to numerous other research‐active academic fields. © 2015 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 43(3):154–161, 2015.
The Security Price Impact on Firms Utilizing Derivatives Across Industries

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the link between the information content of accounting earnings on security returns in the presence of derivatives within firms. To accomplish this, a study sample was chosen from years 2011-2015 which included firms within eight separate industries. The sample was partitioned by firms which engage in derivatives and firms which do not. Results indicate that firms that do not utilize derivatives have a resultant average security price change that is almost double that of their derivative using counterparts. Also, the variance in the stock movements for non-derivative firms is approximately half of that for the derivative firms studied, indicating the potential for less risk in the non-derivative firms. Also, analysis shows that industry membership may in fact have some bearing on stock price of firms that utilize derivatives. Accounting earnings of derivative-using firms in high growth industries seem to have a greater impact on security prices whereas for those derivative-using low growth firms, the security price impact of accounting earnings is not significant. It may well be that the upside of significant growth outweighs the potential downside of derivative usage in the minds of the investors when it comes to high growth industry firms.
Language, Power, and Ideology in High School EFL Textbooks in Saudi Arabia

Using critical discourse analysis (CDA) as a research method, I investigated in the present study the discursive intersections between language and ideology with respect to social power and identity in two high school English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) textbooks in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, I critically analyzed how social power and identity based on gender and race were discursively represented in these EFL textbooks. I also critically examined how banking education and neoliberalism as a western political and socioeconomic ideology shaped the content of these EFL textbooks. The results indicate that the overt and hidden discourses in the EFL textbooks I analyzed serve as a state apparatus to reproduce and perpetuate certain neoconservative and neoliberal ideologies and interests including males’ supremacy and dominance, patriarchy, sexism, women’s subordination and marginalization, functional illiteracy, meritocracy, individualism, and the achievement ideology. The results also reveal that the EFL textbooks I explored serve to promote banking education, depoliticize English language teaching and learning, legitimate and perpetuate white male supremacy, institutional colorblind racism, LANGUAGE, POWER, AND IDEOLOGY IN HIGH SCHOOL EFL TEXTBOOKS IN S.A. vi and the racialization of the English language and the idealized native-speaker’s identity of English.