Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Constructing African American Urban Space in Atlanta, Georgia*

Recognizing the connections between the construction of urban space and racial identity, this article explores an urban redevelopment scheme launched in 2004 by Big Bethel ame Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Known as the “Renaissance Walk,” Big Bethel's project is a $45 million dollar redevelopment plan to turn an adjacent city block into a mixed‐use development. By looking at the racialization of place from the perspective of those who live, work, and organize along Auburn Avenue, one of the most historically significant African American business corridors in the United States, I contend that Big Bethel's redevelopment project is emblematic of contemporary black counterpublic spaces and links the redevelopment project undertaken by Big Bethel with African American identity positions.
Evaluating pair versus solitary housing in kennelled domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) using behaviour and hair cortisol: a pilot study

Numerous studies conducted to assess welfare of domestic dogs housed in kennel facilities have reported that these dogs experience suboptimal living conditions. One important goal of improving welfare of kennelled dogs is to reduce their stress levels, and one recommended approach for improving welfare of kennelled dogs is group or social housing. The beneficial effects of management changes designed to achieve this goal should be measurable in individual animals. Stress is evident through behaviours exhibited, as well as via the concentration of cortisol, a key hormone reflecting stress. Using behavioural and hair cortisol measures, we conducted a pilot study to measure the impact of switching dogs housed in a long-term kennels facility from solitary to pair housing, using both within-subjects and between-groups comparisons. Considerable individual variation in dog responses was noted, with only two of eight pair-housed dogs showing significant declines in multiple stress-related behaviours once in pair housing. The most sensitive behaviours were active vigilance and repetitive movements (such as jumping and pacing). Barking was reduced overall in the facility following the housing change, even among dogs still in solitary housing. The long-term stress as reflected in hormone deposition in hair also provided encouraging indications that the dogs experienced lower stress levels when in paired housing; dogs showed a significant decline in hair cortisol levels from the first (prehousing change) to second (postintervention) samples. Domestic dogs are social animals, and numerous indications of potential benefit were recorded with no negative impacts seen. Based on our findings, we recommend pair or group housing of compatible dogs as a promising addition to the strategies available to those seeking to improve welfare of kennelled dogs. Future studies using higher numbers of animals and that include tracking of hair cortisol, vigilance behaviour, repetitive movements and barking would be desirable.
Identification, uniqueness and art consumption among bicultural consumers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how bicultural consumers differ from monocultural consumers in terms of personality traits and identity negotiation.Design/methodology/approach – Through a multidisciplinary literature review, some anecdotally and qualitatively supported differences between biculturals and monoculturals are reviewed and formulated as hypotheses, and a survey is used to collect quantitative data from a mixed random‐purposeful sample.Findings – Relative to monoculturals, biculturals exhibit greater concern about their acceptability within pertinent reference groups and society at large; have comparable levels of need for uniqueness and art enthusiasm; and consume more artwork as a means and in the process of their routine negotiation of (ethnic) identity. Ethnicity, need for social acceptability, need for group identification, and art enthusiasm are predictors of artwork consumption. Ethnicity, in particular, is a key precursor of artwork consumption.Research limitations/imp.
The attainment of pupils in Gaelic-medium primary education in Scotland

The curricular attainment of pupils in Gaelic-medium primary education in Scotland is investigated using surveys of Gaelic-medium and English-medium pupils in the fifth and seventh years of primary school (approximately 9 and 11 years of age) in 2007. The Gaelic-medium survey was essentially a census of pupils. The English-medium survey was a clustered random sample of 25% of pupils. Attainment was assessed in Gaelic reading and writing (for the Gaelic-medium pupils), and English reading and writing, mathematics and science (for both Gaelic-medium and English-medium pupils). Science was assessed by tests administered as part of the survey; attainment in the other curricular areas was assessed by teacher judgement. The measures were analysed using multi-level modelling, with pupils grouped in schools (and, for some purposes with multivariate outcomes, with measures nested in pupils), and with controls for gender and social deprivation. While most Gaelic-medium pupils were performing in Gaelic at the level stipulated by the curricular framework, a larger proportion was doing so in relation to English. In English reading more Gaelic-medium pupils had reached the stipulated level than had English-medium pupils. There was no reliable evidence of any difference between the two pupil groups in English writing, mathematics or science.
Transmission of immunity to Neisseria gonorrhoeae from vaccinated hens to embryos.

Presently, there is no practical laboratory animal model for the evaluation of experimental gonococcal vaccines. The chimpanzee has been used recently (1), but this animal is expensive and difficult to handle. On the other hand, the. susceptibility of the chick embryo to certain pathogenic microorganisms has provided an excellent model for the study of their virulence (2,3,8,9). In our laboratory, we have confirmed the original observation of Bumgarner et al (4), that Neisseria gonorrhoeae colony types T1 and T2 (virulent for man) are significantly more virulent for the chick embryo than T3 and T4 (non-virulent for man). However, chick embryo neutralization studies (4,5) have shown the unsuitability of the embryo as an animal model for the protective capacity of vaccines against gonorrhea, since there is only a ten-fold difference between the ability of normal and hyper-immune rabbit sera to protect the embryos against gonococcal challenge. Because of these limitations, we have investigated the ability of.
The Relations between Anxiety Sensitivity and Anxiety Control in the Prediction of Anxiety Symptoms among Children and Adolescents

Abstract The present study investigated the relations between youth anxiety sensitivity and perceived anxiety control over Internal Reactions and perceived anxiety control over External Threats within the context of a (partially) mediated model in the prediction of anxiety symptoms. Youth sex also was investigated as a moderator of the conceptual model. The sample consisted of 333 children and adolescents (51.4% boys; M = 10.27 years old) referred to a youth anxiety disorders specialty research clinic. Findings showed that high anxiety sensitivity predicted high levels of anxiety symptoms for both boys and girls. Findings also showed that for both boys and girls, high anxiety sensitivity predicted low perceived anxiety control over Internal Reactions, as well as low perceived anxiety control over External Threats. Interestingly, perceived anxiety control over Internal Reactions was a partial mediator of the relation between anxiety sensitivity and anxiety for boys, but not girls. In contrast, perceived anxiety control over External Threats was a partial mediator of the relation between anxiety sensitivity and anxiety for girls, but not boys. The results are discussed within the context of the study's conceptual model as well as potential clinical implications.
Support for Resistance Among Iraqi Students: An Exploratory Study

This study examines predictors of expressed support for resistance to U.S.-led forces in Iraq among a sample of 130 university students in Baghdad. Based on a review of the literature and common discourse, personality, clash of civilization and social-psychological variables are tested as likely predictors of support for resistance. Data were collected in March 2004 during a period of relative political stability and optimism. Only social-psychological variables significantly predicted support. In particular, national identity, perceived procedural injustice, and higher life satisfaction prior to the U.S.-led invasion were significant predictors. Findings are discussed in relation to media and academic accounts explaining political violence in the current conflict.
Modified particle swarm optimization for economic-emission load dispatch of power system operation

This paper proposes a modified particle swarm optimization considering time-varying acceleration coefficients for the economic-emission load dispatch (EELD) problem. The new adaptive parameter is introduced to update the particle movements through the modification of the velocity equation of the classical particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The idea is to enhance the performance and robustness of classical PSO. The price penalty factor method is used to transform the multiobjective EELD problem into a single-objective problem. Then the weighted sum method is applied for finding the Pareto front solution. The best compromise solution for this problem is determined based on the fuzzy ranking approach. The IEEE 30-bus system has been used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. It was found that the proposed algorithm can provide better results in terms of best fuel cost, best emissions, convergence characteristics, and robustness compared to the reported results using other optimization algorithms.
Growth hormone reduces inflammation in postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity: a 12-month, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

CONTEXT Abdominal obesity is associated with low GH secretion, elevated circulating markers of inflammation, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVE The objective was to study the effect of GH treatment on inflammatory markers and vascular adhesion molecules in postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity. DESIGN Forty women aged 51-63 yr received GH (0.67 mg/d) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-month trial. Measurements of inflammatory markers [highly sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, and amyloid polypeptideA] and markers of endothelial dysfunction (soluble E-selectin, vascular adhesion molecule-1, intercellular molecule-1, and matrix metalloproteinase-9) were performed at baseline and after 6 and 12 months of treatment. RESULTS After 12 months, the mean IGF sd score was 0.9 +/- 1.5 and -0.8 +/- 0.6 in the GH and placebo groups, respectively. GH treatment reduced CRP and IL-6 levels compared with placebo (P = 0.03 and P = 0.05, respectively), whereas the markers of endothelial dysfunction were unaffected. Within the GH-treated group, a reduction was shown in CRP (4.3 +/- 4 to 3.0 +/- 3 mg/liter; P < 0.05) and in IL-6 (4.4 +/- 2 to 3.3 +/- 2 ng/liter; P < 0.01). In the GH-treated group, the decrease in CRP and IL-6 correlated with a reduction in visceral adipose tissue (r = 0.7, P < 0.001 and r = 0.5, P < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION GH treatment in postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity reduced serum markers of systemic inflammation. Circulating markers of endothelial dysfunction were unaffected by treatment.
Fast and Blind Restoration Scheme for the Initial States of LFSRs

A fast and blind restoration scheme for LFSR (linear feedback shift register) sequences with high error ratio is proposed. This scheme combines searching-offline and decoding-online to restore the initial state of a LFSR sequence. During the restoring process, two key steps are included: one is to quickly find as many parity-check equations as possible to construct the convolutional code with low rate and high correcting capability, and the other is to decode the convolutional codes based on the improved Viterbi algorithm
Enhancing Decision-Making Efficiency through M-bi Use

Mobile business intelligence (m-BI) denotes the delivery of business information on mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones. m-BI promises to support the mobile workforce in making decisions just in time. Yet, a lack of knowledge exists on how m-BI use can actually lead to improved decisionmaking performance at the individual level. This void of understanding has implications for both practitioners and academics, with the former feeling insecure about the benefits of investing in yet another technology, and the latter lacking empirical studies on technologies that challenge traditional decision support system (DSS) platforms. To this end, drawing inspiration from the information system (IS) success models and information search literature, a research model is designed and tested through a survey-based study. Data are collected from 357 m-BI users employed in different organisations. The study findings support our research model. Reactive search and proactive search, both of which use modes of m-BI, significantly influence decision-making efficiency, albeit with different prediction-size effects. Furthermore, mobility and time criticality (i.e. mobile work characteristics) influence proactive search, and time criticality is a predictor of reactive search.
Selection and use of elicitation techniques for education research

This article describes a framework for the choice of elicitation method and demonstrates the application of this framework to education research, via a set of case studies. These studies investigate issues relating to retention of students on courses, with particular reference to mature students on further education and higher education courses. One study uses projective questionnaires to investigate reasons for withdrawal which students might be reluctant to discuss via other approaches. Other studies use online self-report and laddering to investigate students' academic skills both qualitatively and quantitatively. A further study demonstrates how apparently subjective terms can be quantified in a way which enables testing of widely held beliefs (in this case, that a dissertation with an interesting title is likely to get a good mark). Finally, another study is briefly described in which online self-report is used to investigate factors affecting potential students' perceptions of courses and institutions via prospectuses and web-based material. The implications for pedagogic practice and for research into student retention are briefly discussed.
The Long-Term Marriage: Perceptions of Stability and Satisfaction

Marriage has been shown to be conducive to the well-being of both men and women. An increasing proportion of older people, however, are likely to live alone because of the high divorce rate. This research raises the question of what factors might be involved in a stable and satisfying marriage. Data were gathered from 100 couples who have been married forty-five years or more. The variables identified by couples as important to their marriages were: being married to someone they liked as a person and enjoyed being with; commitment to the spouse and to marriage; a sense of humor; and consensus on various matters such as aims and goals in life, friends, and decision making. Husbands and wives were strikingly similar in their responses; thus, men and women perceive the same variables to be critical in the success of long-term marriages.
Size Is Everything: Universal Features of Quasar Microlensing with Extended Sources

We examine the effect that the shape of the source brightness profile has on the magnitude fluctuations of images in quasar lens systems due to microlensing. We do this by convolving a variety of accretion disk models (including Gaussian disks, uniform disks, "cones," and a Shakura-Sunyaev thermal model) with two magnification maps in the source plane, one with convergence κ = 0.4 and shear γ = 0.4 (positive parity) and the other with κ = γ = 0.6 (negative parity). By looking at magnification histograms of the convolutions and using χ2 tests to determine the number of observations that would be necessary to distinguish histograms associated with different disk models, we find that, for circular disk models, the microlensing fluctuations are relatively insensitive to all properties of the models except the half-light radius of the disk. Shakura-Sunyaev models are sufficiently well constrained by observed quasar properties that we can estimate the half-light radius at optical wavelengths for a typical quasar. If Shakura-Sunyaev models are appropriate, the half-light radii are very much smaller than the Einstein rings of intervening stars, and the quasar can be reasonably taken to be a point source except in the immediate vicinity of caustic-crossing events.
DD-L1D: Improving the Decoupled L1D Efficiency for GPU Architecture

GPU L1 data cache contention, caused by a huge amount of concurrent threads, leads to insufficient cache utilization and poor performance, especially for cache unfriendly applications. Cache bypassing is a widely- used method to alleviate this problem, and Decoupled L1D (D-L1D) is a preventive bypassing scheme, which achieves performance improvement for cache unfriendly applications by considering the data locality of memory access streams. However, our experiments and analyses show that limited performance gain by D-L1D is attained due to the pre-defined locality threshold. To address this issue, we propose a novel bypassing scheme named as Dynamic D-L1D (DD-L1D) that directs the L1 data cache to the less contention by dynamically updating the locality threshold during runtime. We evaluate four metrics in DD-L1D to indicate the L1 cache bypassing state, and choose bypassing miss rate in our final configuration. The experimental results demonstrate that DD-L1D improves the baseline performance by 1.45X on average for cache unfriendly benchmarks. It also outperforms D-L1D and the state-of-the-art GPU cache bypassing schemes with lower hardware overhead and memory traffic.
Anconeus motor unit number estimates using decomposition‐based quantitative electromyography

Introduction: Motor unit number estimates (MUNEs) provide important information in health, aging, and disease, and can be determined using decomposition‐enhanced spike‐triggered averaging (DE‐STA). Discrimination of surface‐detected motor unit potentials (S‐MUPs) has been limited to contractile forces of ∽30% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), which is insufficient to recruit a representative sample of the entire MU pool in most muscles. Unique features of the anconeus may permit MUNEs at high muscle activation levels. Methods: In 10 men (25 ± 3 years), anconeus MUNEs were performed using DE‐STA at 10%, 30%, and 50% root‐mean‐square of MVC (RMSMVC). Results: The mean compound muscle action potential of the anconeus was ∽6 mV, and average S‐MUP amplitudes were ∽100 μV, 145 μV, and 235 μV at 10%, 30%, and 50% RMSMVC, resulting in low average MUNEs of 58, 38, and 25, respectively. Conclusions: Elbow extensor force–EMG relationships suggest full recruitment of the anconeus MU pool at 50% RMSMVC, thus providing a representative sample for MUNE. Muscle Nerve 50: 52–59, 2014
Experiments in Domain Adaptation for Statistical Machine Translation

The special challenge of the WMT 2007 shared task was domain adaptation. We took this opportunity to experiment with various ways of adapting a statistical machine translation systems to a special domain (here: news commentary), when most of the training data is from a different domain (here: European Parliament speeches). This paper also gives a description of the submission of the University of Edinburgh to the shared task.
Unmasking Barriers to Knowledge Sharing Using a Communication Framework

This proposal outlines the development of a field experiment and survey to investigate barriers to knowledge sharing within an organizational environment. In particular, this study will evaluate knowledge workers’ perceptions regarding the relative importance of different types of barriers to knowledge sharing and investigate a possible relationship between the perceived relative importance of the barriers and the knowledge-sharing context. The purpose of this study is to inform researchers and practitioners so that future research and management efforts can be focused on reducing or eliminating barriers that have the most prohibitive effects on intraorganizational knowledge sharing. A field experiment is proposed where knowledge workers in a large service organization are presented with four hypothetical situations that represent different knowledge sharing contexts. A Q-sort technique is proposed to evaluate the relative impediment that each of the barriers present in that context. The results of the quasi-experiment will be validated by surveying a different set of knowledge workers in the same organization.
Tacticycle: supporting exploratory bicycle trips

Going on excursions to explore unfamiliar environments by bike is a popular activity in many places in this world. To investigate the nature of exploratory bicycle trips, we studied tourists on their excursions on a famous vacation island. We found that existing navigation systems are either not helpful or discourage exploration. We therefore propose Tacticycle, a conceptual prototype of a user interface for a bicycle navigation system. Relying on a minimal set of navigation cues, it helps staying oriented while supporting spontaneous navigation and exploration at the same time. In cooperation with a bike rental, we rented the Tacticycle prototype to tourists who took it on their actual excursions. The results show that they always felt oriented and encouraged to playfully explore the island, providing a rich, yet relaxed travel experience. On the basis of these findings, we argue that exploratory trips can be very well supported by providing minimal navigation cues only.
Complex-Valued Signal Processing: The Proper Way to Deal With Impropriety

Complex-valued signals occur in many areas of science and engineering and are thus of fundamental interest. In the past, it has often been assumed, usually implicitly, that complex random signals are proper or circular. A proper complex random variable is uncorrelated with its complex conjugate, and a circular complex random variable has a probability distribution that is invariant under rotation in the complex plane. While these assumptions are convenient because they simplify computations, there are many cases where proper and circular random signals are very poor models of the underlying physics. When taking impropriety and noncircularity into account, the right type of processing can provide significant performance gains. There are two key ingredients in the statistical signal processing of complex-valued data: 1) utilizing the complete statistical characterization of complex-valued random signals; and 2) the optimization of real-valued cost functions with respect to complex parameters. In this overview article, we review the necessary tools, among which are widely linear transformations, augmented statistical descriptions, and Wirtinger calculus. We also present some selected recent developments in the field of complex-valued signal processing, addressing the topics of model selection, filtering, and source separation.