Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Schooling sexualities and gendered bodies. Experiences of LGBT students in Icelandic upper secondary schools

In this paper, we study how Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people (LGBT) students in Icelandic upper secondary schools interpret their experience of heteronormative environment and how they respond to it. The aim is to explore how sexualities and gendered bodies are constructed through ‘schooling’. The article draws on interview data with seven LGBT students who attended five different upper secondary schools. We also use visual data collected during fieldwork at one upper secondary school and exemplify the results with a poster and a digitalised short-film, produced by the students, to substantiate what participants told us in the interviews. All of the students experienced heteronormative discourse and lack of respect and indicated that they did not feel fully accepted in school. Upon entering the classroom, the visibility of LGBTs and discussion about different performances of gender and sexuality seem to disappear, whether in terms of textbooks, course content, teaching practices and school environment. Furthermore, LGBTs and those who do not conform to the hegemonic performances of gender are often constructed as deviations from the norm, strange, and even depicted as the abjected other. This applies in particular to the informal school, which embraces the traditions, culture and social interactions among students and teachers. This othering occurs, despite relatively positive attitudes towards LGBT people in Icelandic society in general. The results signify a gap between policy and practice as regards the positioning of LBGT students, which affects their schooling and well-being.
Novel interference alignment in multi-secondary users cognitive radio system

New interference alignment (IA) design for secondary users' transceivers in multi-secondary users cognitive radio system is presented. The proposed scheme allows opportunistic transmitters (secondary users) equipped with multiple antennas (MIMO) to use the same frequency band already occupied by the pre-existing primary user. This can be done by aligning and cancelling the interference on the primary user when local channel state information (CSI) is known. A novel closed form solution for precoding, postcoding, power allocation designed for the secondary users is derived. The proposed solution eliminates the interference of secondary users on primary user while whitening the interference caused by the primary user and other secondary users on each secondary user in the system. Numerical results prove the effectiveness of our novel IA scheme compared to other iterative methods that are used for the same purpose.
Credulous Resolution for Answer Set Programming

The paper presents a calculus based on resolution for credulous reasoning in Answer Set Programming. The new approach allows a top-down and goal directed resolution, in the same spirit as traditional SLD-resolution. The proposed credulous resolution can be used in query-answering with nonground queries and with non-ground, and possibly infinite, programs. Soundness and completeness results for the resolution procedure are proved for large classes of logic programs. The resolution procedure is also extended to handle some traditional syntactic extensions used in Answer Set Programming, such as choice rules and constraints. The paper also describes an initial implementation of a system for credulous reasoning in Answer Set Programming.
Nonresponse Bias for Attitude Questions

IN SAMPLE SURVEYS conducted by probability methods, from 20 to 30 percent of the designated sample typically are either never contacted or, once contacted, never interviewed. This raises a series of questions about the nature and magnitude of nonresponse bias. The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) was commissioned by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to study attitudes and behavior of farm operators who supply information in USDA crop and livestock surveys.1 Hence the attitudinal, biographical, and behavioral variables measured in the survey were those we thought most likely to be related to nonresponse. These data thus provide an excellent opportunity to estimate the effects of nonresponse. If we can determine the nonresponse bias for these variables, other constructs measured in this sort of sample should not exhibit worse bias. There seem to be two main factors contributing to nonresponse, each with different causes and hence different biasing effects. One is availability to be interviewed, including the availability of other I See the general report on the survey in Jones et al. (1979). This paper is an elaboration of a part of Chapter 6 of that report, "Analysis of Errors. " That chapter also has an analysis of question wording effects and sampling variability. The questionnaire is reproduced in the report, which is available from the NORC Library.
Interdependent Relationships in Game Theory: A Generalized Model

A generalized model of games is proposed, in which cooperative games and non-cooperative games are special cases. Some games that are neither cooperative nor non-cooperative can be expressed and analyzed. The model is based on relationships and supposed relationships between players. A relationship is a numerical value that denotes how one player cares for the payoffs of another player, while a supposed relationship is another numerical value that denotes a player's belief about the relationship between two players. The players choose their strategies by taking into consideration not only the material payoffs but also relationships and their change. Two games, a prisoners' dilemma and a repeated ultimatum game, are analyzed as examples of application of this model.
Comparative study between different bases of transformation for compressive sensing of images

Compressive Sensing is a theory that can reconstruct a signal (or image) from a very small number of measurements, beyond the limits traditionally imposed by Shannon's theorem. To make this reconstruction perfect, some conditions are necessary, the signal must be sparse in a known basis and the number of measures should be sufficient enough to be in accordance with the rate of the signal sparseness. In this paper, we propose to compare different bases of transformation for compressive sensing of images. For this purpose, we use the most popular transformations that are DWT, DCT, DT-CWT and Contourlet. For our study, we choose two of the most efficient image recovery methods. The first is the L1-dantzig selector based on convex optimization approach, and the second is the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) based on greedy algorithms. Experimental results show the efficiency of the DT-CWT in term of Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Structural SIMilarity (SSIM) and also with the visual assessment of the reconstructed images.
Mitotic cell death in BEL-7402 cells induced by enediyne antibiotic lidamycin is associated with centrosome overduplication.

AIM Mitotic cell death has been focused on in tumor therapy. However, the precise mechanisms underlying it remain unclear. We have reported previously that enediyne antibiotic lidamycin induces mitotic cell death at low concentrations in human epithelial tumor cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible link between centrosome dynamics and lidamycin-induced mitotic cell death in human hepatoma BEL-7402 cells. METHODS Growth curve was established by MTT assay. Cell multinucleation was detected by staining with Hoechst 33342. Flow cytometry was used to analyze cell cycle. Aberrant centrosomes were detected by indirect immunofluorescence. Western blot and senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal) staining were used to analyze protein expression and senescence-like phenotype, respectively. RESULTS Exposure of BEL-7402 cells to a low concentration of lidamycin resulted in an increase in cells containing multiple centrosomes in association with the appearance of mitotic cell death and activation of SA-beta-gal in some cells, accompanied by the changes of protein expression for the regulation of proliferation and apoptosis. The mitochondrial signaling pathway, one of the major apoptotic pathways, was not activated during mitotic cell death. The aberrant centrosomes contributed to the multipolar mitotic spindles formation, which might lead to an unbalanced division of chromosomes and mitotic cell death characterized by the manifestation of multi- or micronucleated giant cells. Cell cycle analysis revealed that the lidamycin treatment provoked the retardation at G2/M phase, which might be involved in the centrosome overduplication. CONCLUSION Mitotic cell death and senescence can be induced by treatment of BEL-7402 cells with a low concentration of lidamycin. Centrosome dysregulation may play a critical role in mitotic failure and ultimate cell death following exposure to intermediate dose of lidamycin.
Trimeric Structure of (+)-Pinoresinol-forming Dirigent Protein at 1.95 Å Resolution with Three Isolated Active Sites

Background: Dirigent protein (DP) discovery gave new paradigm for monolignol-derived coupling in planta. Results: (+)-Pinoresinol-forming DP (PsDRR206) three-dimensional structure was obtained at 1.95 Å resolution. Conclusion: The tightly packed trimeric DP has three putative substrate binding sites spatially far apart, suggesting that each site involves monomer coupling directly. Significance: New insights into monolignol radical-radical coupling in planta. Control over phenoxy radical-radical coupling reactions in vivo in vascular plants was enigmatic until our discovery of dirigent proteins (DPs, from the Latin dirigere, to guide or align). The first three-dimensional structure of a DP ((+)-pinoresinol-forming DP, 1.95 Å resolution, rhombohedral space group H32)) is reported herein. It has a tightly packed trimeric structure with an eight-stranded β-barrel topology for each DP monomer. Each putative substrate binding and orientation coupling site is located on the trimer surface but too far apart for intermolecular coupling between sites. It is proposed that each site enables stereoselective coupling (using either two coniferyl alcohol radicals or a radical and a monolignol). Interestingly, there are six differentially conserved residues in DPs affording either the (+)- or (−)-antipodes in the vicinity of the putative binding site and region known to control stereoselectivity. DPs are involved in lignan biosynthesis, whereas dirigent domains/sites have been implicated in lignin deposition.
The 12-lead ECG in peripartum cardiomyopathy

Background The value of the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) to provide prognostic information in the deadly and disabling syndrome peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is unknown. Aims To determine the prevalence of major and minor ECG abnormalities in PPCM patients at the time of diagnosis, and to establish whether there are ECG correlates of persistent left ventricular dysfunction and/or clinical stability at six months of follow up, where available. Methods Twelve-lead ECGs were performed at the point of diagnosis on 78 consecutive women presenting with PPCM to two tertiary centres in South Africa and 44 cases (56%) at the six-month follow up. Blinded Minnesota coding identified major ECG abnormalities and minor ECG changes. Results The cohort mainly comprised young women of black African ancestry (90%) [mean age 29 ± 7 years and median body mass index 24.3 (IQR: 22.7–27.5) kg/m2]. The majority of cases (n = 70; 90%) presented in sinus rhythm (mean heart rate 100 ± 21 beats/min). At baseline, at least one ECG abnormality/variant was detected in 96% of cases. Major ECG abnormalities and minor changes were detected in 49% (95% CI: 37–60%) and 62% (95% CI: 51–74%) of cases, respectively; the most common being T-wave changes (59%), p-wave abnormality (29%) and QRS-axis deviation (25%). Of the 44 cases (56%) reviewed at six months, normalisation of the 12-lead ECG occurred in 25%; the most labile ECG features being heart rate (mean reduction of 27 beats/min; p < 0.001) and abnormal QRS axis (36 vs 14%; p = 0.014). On an adjusted basis, major T-wave abnormalities on the baseline 12-lead ECG were associated with lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at baseline (average of –9%, 95% CI: –1 to –16; p = 0.03) and at six months (–12%; 95% CI: –4 to –24; p = 0.006). Similarly, baseline ST-segment elevation was also associated with lower LVEF at six months (–25%; 95% CI: –0.7 to –50; p = 0.04). Conclusions In this unique study, we found that almost all women suffering from PPCM had an ‘abnormal’ 12-lead ECG. Pending more definitive studies, the ECG appears to be a useful adjunctive tool in both screening and prognostication in resource-poor settings.
Over time, how do post-Ph.D. scientists locate teaching and supervision within their academic practice?

While building a strong research profile is usually seen as key for those seeking a traditional academic position, teaching is also understood as central to academic practice. Still, we know little of how post-Ph.D. researchers seeking academic posts locate teaching and supervision in their academic practice, nor how their views may shift as they are hired into such positions. Drawing on a framework of identity-trajectory narrative, this two-year study of seven Canadian post-Ph.D. scientists examines in-depth the shifting place of teaching within their academic practice. A positive view of the role of teaching in the post-Ph.D. position evolved to a more complex positioning as individuals became pre-tenure. The contributions of this study include a focus on early career scientists (much previous research examines social scientists); its rare longitudinal reach following individuals across roles; and its integration of teaching within other academic work.
Associations between muscular fitness and metabolic syndrome: Cross-sectional study of Japanese women and men

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex interrelated risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. High cardiorespiratory fitness is known to contribute to prevention of MetS. However, little is known regarding the association between muscular fitness and MetS in Japanese adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between muscular fitness and MetS in Japanese women and men. This cross-sectional study included 335 women and 209 men aged 30 - 79 y. MetS was determined according to the 2009 criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. Muscular fitness was evaluated by muscular fitness composite score (MFS), which was determined using Z scores from grip strength and sit-ups. Participants were classified by MFS tertile into low, middle, and high MFS groups. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to estimate odds ratios for the incidence of MetS in each group. The prevalence of MFS was 27.2% in women and 27.3% in men. Adjusted odds ratios for MetS prevalence in the low, middle, and high MFS groups, after adjusting for age, smoking status, alcohol intake, and exercise habits, were 1.0 (referent), 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50 - 1.62), and 0.49 (95% CI, 0.25 - 0.94; P for trend = 0.03) in women; in men, they were 1.0 (referent), 0.49 (0.23 - 1.04), and 0.42 (0.18 - 0.97; P for trend = 0.04), respectively. Muscular fitness is inversely associated with the prevalence of MetS in Japanese women and men.
Digital subtraction bowel cleansing for CT colonography using morphological and linear filtration methods

We describe a method to perform postacquisition processing of computed tomography colonography (virtual colonoscopy) datasets that results in electronic removal of opacified, ingested bowel contents while reconstructing natural appearing boundaries of colon lumen and thereby permitting 3D (three-dimensional) visual analyses of the resulting colon models.
Whiteness and Diasporic Irishness: Nation, Gender and Class

Whiteness is often detached from the notion of diaspora in the recent flurry of interest in the phenomenon, yet it is a key feature of some of the largest and oldest displacements. This paper explores the specific contexts of white racial belonging and status over two centuries in two main destinations of the Irish diaspora, the USA and Britain. Its major contribution is a tracing of the untold story of ‘How the Irish became white in Britain’ to parallel and contrast with the much more fully developed narrative in the USA. It argues that, contrary to popular belief, the racialisation of the Irish in England did not fade away at the end of the nineteenth century but became transmuted in new forms which have continued to place the ‘white’ Irish outside the boundaries of the English nation. These have been strangely ignored by social scientists, who conflate Irishness and working-class identities in England without acknowledging the distinctive contribution of Irish backgrounds to constructions of class difference. Gender locates Irish women and men differently in relation to these class positions, for example allowing mothers to be blamed for the perpetuation of the underclass. Class and gender are also largely unrecognised dimensions of Irish ethnicity in the USA, where the presence of ‘poor white’ neighbourhoods continues to challenge the iconic story of Irish upward mobility. Irishness thus remains central to the construction of mainstream ‘white’ identities in both the USA and Britain into the twenty-first century.
The Sf1-related nuclear hormone receptor Hr39 regulates Drosophila female reproductive tract development and function

The vertebrate nuclear hormone receptor steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1; NR5A1) controls reproductive development and regulates the transcription of steroid-modifying cytochrome P450 genes. We find that the SF1-related Drosophila nuclear hormone receptor HR39 is also essential for sexual development. In Hr39 mutant females, the sperm-storing spermathecae and glandular parovaria are absent or defective, causing sterility. Our results indicate that spermathecae and parovaria secrete reproductive tract proteins required for sperm maturation and function, like the mammalian epididymis and female reproductive tract. Hr39 controls the expression of specific cytochrome P450 genes and is required in females both to activate spermathecal secretion and repress male-specific courtship genes such as takeout. Thus, a pathway that, in vertebrates, controls sex-specific steroid hormone production, also mediates reproductive functions in an invertebrate. Our findings suggest that Drosophila can be used to model more aspects of mammalian reproductive biology than previously believed.
Is public information really public? The role of newspapers

Our paper offers evidence that printed media can affect stock prices by covering public news (nonevents) even without resorting to spin or emphasis. However, the price reaction is limited to small caps, suggesting that small investors still obtain public information mainly through newspapers. The absence of spin or emphasis is the core element that differentiates our study from existing evidence, making it unique, to the best of our knowledge, in the financial literature on the media and asset pricing.
State estimation of an underwater robot using visual and inertial information

This paper presents an adaptation of a vision and inertial-based state estimation algorithm for use in an underwater robot. The proposed approach combines information from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) in the form of linear accelerations and angular velocities, depth data from a pressure sensor, and feature tracking from a monocular downward facing camera to estimate the 6DOF pose of the vehicle. To validate the approach, we present extensive experimental results from field trials conducted in underwater environments with varying lighting and visibility conditions, and we demonstrate successful application of the technique underwater.
Bargaining and Group Decision Making: Experiments in Bilateral Monopoly

and statistical methods. The present volumes clearly bring out the significance of the various viewpoints that are most relevant to a unified theory of consumption and saving. Though commendable for their content and make-up, these volumes are not entirely free from some minor criticisms. The studies in these volumes, which mostly relate to the urban sector of the United States, give an impression that they were organised mainly to test certain recent hypotheses regarding consumer behaviour. Theirresults are perhaps too tentative and are mainly of academic interest; no attempt appears to have been made to use them for practical purposes such as the prediction of aggregate demand. Moreover, the methods used in these studies are based in most cases on the principle of least squares involving two or more variables and slight modification here and there, and do not seem to contribute significantly to existing statistical methodology. These criticisms, however, are not peculiar to the present studies but are shared by all empirical studies on consumption. For the economists and statisticians interested in the analysis and use of family budgets, these two volumes can give considerable guidance. Advanced students of consumption should find the book equally useful, as it contains a wealth of expository material frequently highlighted by exciting discussions and rejoinders that help to clarify various doubts that are still associated with the present theories of consumer behaviour. Much of the valuable data found in these two volumes could probably lend themselves to further analyses using alternative techniques. But after reading the book one might ask in wonder whether the conclusions found in many places in the book are not too obvious to require such elaborate statistical analysis. Is not, after all, the main objective of all quantitative analysis to verify the truth of the common-place notions and, where feasible, to evaluate the actual magnitudes involved?
Alleviating priority inversion and non-determinism in real-time CORBA ORB core architectures

There is increasing demand to extend Object Request Broker (ORB) middleware to support distributed applications with stringent real-time requirements. However, conventional ORE implementations, such as CORBA ORBs, exhibit substantial priority inversion and non-determinism, which makes them unsuitable for applications with deterministic real-time requirements. The paper provides two contributions to the study and design of real-time ORB middleware. First, it illustrates empirically why conventional ORBs do not yet support real-time quality of service. Second, it evaluates connection and concurrency software architectures to identify strategies that reduce priority inversion and non-determinism in real-time CORBA ORBs.
Towards Transparent Access to Multiple Biological Databanks

Nowadays, biologists use a number of large biological databanks to find relevant information for their research. Users of these databanks face a number of problems. One problem is that users are required to have good knowledge about the contents, implementations and conceptual models of many databanks to be able to ask precise and relevant questions. Further, the terminology that is used in the different databanks may be different. Also, when asking complex queries to multiple databanks, users need to construct a query plan on their own possibly leading to poor performance or not even obtaining results. To alleviate these problems we define an architecture for systems that deal with these problems by allowing for a transparent and integrated way to query the multiple sources. The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, we describe a study of current biological databanks. Then, we propose a base query language that contains operators that should be present in any query language for biological databanks. Further, we present an architecture for a system supporting such a language and providing integrated access to the highly distributed and heterogeneous environment of biological databanks.