Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distinguishing between Exogenous and Endogenous Intent-to-Transfer Students

In this article, we distinguish between 2 types of students who intend to transfer and graduate from another institution. During the fall of 2006, 507 first-semester students attending a state university completed a survey. Seventy-six percent of the students indicated that they planned on graduating from the University (intent-to-persist), 16% indicated that the intended to transfer and that this intention emerged following enrollment at the University (endogenous intent-to-transfer), and 8% indicated that they entered the University with the intent to transfer (exogenous intent-to-transfer). Exogenous intent-to-transfer students were significantly (p < .05) higher than endogenous intent-to-transfer students on academic integration, social integration, and institutional commitment. The 2 types of intent-to-transfer students differed in their economic, social, and quality of academic program reasons for enrolling at and transferring from the University. Implications for retention of making the distinction between the 2 types of intended transfer students were noted.
States, Cultures, and Community Organizing: Two Tales of Two Neighborhoods

How do differences between the United States and Canadian political systems affect community organizing? We compare case studies of two neighborhoods: the Drouillard Road neighborhood in Windsor, Ontario, Canada; and the Birmingham neighborhood in Toledo, Ohio, United States. Toledo and Windsor are similar in important ways, with both heavily dependent on Detroit-based automotive industry, and relatively similar in ethnic and class makeup. The neighborhoods also have similar demographic profiles with a high proportion of Eastern European immigrants and Catholics. Both neighborhoods witnessed threats to their existence in the 1970s, developed an energetic community organizing response to those threats, and then went separate directions. Drouillard Road quickly moved into social services and community development. Birmingham expanded its community organizing across the east side of Toledo, but then was torn apart by internal conflict when it shifted to community development. Our analysis shows that the contrasting paths of the two organizations can be more fully understood in light of national differences in political structure and political culture between Canada and the United States.
A Message Passing Algorithm for the Problem of Path Packing in Graphs

We consider the problem of packing node-disjoint directed paths in a directed graph. We consider a variant of this problem where each path starts within a fixed subset of root nodes, subject to a given bound on the length of paths. This problem is motivated by the so-called kidney exchange problem, but has potential other applications and is interesting in its own right. We propose a new algorithm for this problem based on the message passing/belief propagation technique. A priori this problem does not have an associated graphical model, so in order to apply a belief propagation algorithm we provide a novel representation of the problem as a graphical model. Standard belief propagation on this model has poor scaling behavior, so we provide an efficient implementation that significantly decreases the complexity. We provide numerical results comparing the performance of our algorithm on both artificially created graphs and real world networks to several alternative algorithms, including algorithms based on integer programming (IP) techniques. These comparisons show that our algorithm scales better to large instances than IP-based algorithms and often finds better solutions than a simple algorithm that greedily selects the longest path from each root node. In some cases it also finds better solutions than the ones found by IP-based algorithms even when the latter are allowed to run significantly longer than our algorithm.
STAIR3D: Simultaneous tracking and incremental registration for modeling 3D handheld objects

Reconstructing a 3D model of an unknown object via incremental registration of multiple appearance models is a challenging task. With availability of low cost sensors and robust algorithms, the field of visual scene reconstruction has advanced considerably. While these advances has enabled robust reconstructions of cluttered and unstructured scenes, an active 3D reconstruction of a generic handheld object through registration of multiple appearance models from a single RGB-D viewpoint remains a difficult problem. The difficulty is maintaining the physical boundaries of an unknown object subjected to non-linear and unknown hand motion and appearance changes. As a consequence of these abrupt changes, the registration fails either due to motion drifting or boundary overflow. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm for active tracking and simultaneous registration of handheld objects subjected to abrupt changes in motion model. To reduce the effects of drifting in registration, a tracking algorithm with robust updating scheme is used to track the motion of the objects in real time. The updating algorithm is based on the idea of Gestalt principles formulated into Bayesian filter framework. The tracker predicted motion is used for object region segmentation and structured registration i.e., preregistration using the motion of tracker for initial alignment, fast feature based alignment and ICP based dense alignment. In this pipeline, we are able to compensate the effects of motion drifting and reject outliers from non-object regions while maintaining the boundary of the object.
English-Czech Machine Translation Using

English to Czech machine translation as it is implemented in the TectoMT system consists of three phases: analysis, transfer and synthesis. The system uses tectogrammatical (deep-syntactic dependency) trees as the transfer medium. Each phase is divided into so-called blocks, which are processing units that solve linguistically interpretable tasks (e.g., statistical part-of-speech tagging or rule-based placement of clitics). This paper shortly introduces linguistic layers of language description which are used for the translation and describes basic concepts of the TectoMT framework. The translation results are evaluated using both automatic metric BLEU and human judgments from the WMT 2010 evaluation.
Helping Students Manage Their Energy

This article introduces a tool to help students learn to better manage their energy. The tool asks students to assess their energy levels for each waking hour over at least 2 days in order to identify patterns of activities associated with high energy and with depleted energy. The article describes how to use the tool in the classroom by articulating the learning objectives, providing background research on energy regulation, and debriefing student reactions. The findings from two classes of students suggest that the tool is effective in achieving its learning goals and has a longer term impact on student behavior. The article closes by discussing the challenges of energy management for students.
Muscle Changes in Aging

Muscle physiology in the aging athlete is complex. Sarcopenia, the age-related decrease in lean muscle mass, can alter activity level and affect quality of life. This review addresses the microscopic and macroscopic changes in muscle with age, recognizes contributing factors including nutrition and changes in hormone levels, and identifies potential pharmacologic agents in clinical trial that may aid in the battle of this complex, costly, and disabling problem. Level of Evidence: Level 5.
Root cold tolerance of black spruce seedlings: viability tests in relation to survival and regrowth.

Root systems of 6-month-old, cold-hardened, container-grown black spruce seedlings (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) were exposed to 0, -5, -10, -15, -20, or -22.5 degrees C. Freezing-induced damage to fine roots, coarse roots and the whole root system was assessed by various viability tests including leakage of electrolytes, leakage of phenolic compounds, water loss, root and shoot water potentials, and live root dry mass. To assess the long-term effects of freezing-induced root damage, seedling survival and regrowth were measured. Leakage of both electrolytes and phenolic compounds differed among fine roots, coarse roots, and whole root systems. In coarse roots and the whole root system, but not in fine roots, leakage of electrolytes, leakage of phenolic compounds, water loss, and root and shoot water potentials were correlated with percentage of live root dry mass which, in turn, was highly correlated with seedling survival and regrowth. Compared with live root dry mass, electrolyte and phenolic leakage, water loss, and root and shoot water potentials were less well correlated with seedling survival and regrowth. Among the viability tests, electrolyte leakage of the whole root system correlated most closely with seedling survival and regrowth. Under freezing conditions that destroyed less than 50% of each seedling's root system, about 70% of the seedlings survived and subsequent growth was little affected, whereas under freezing conditions that destroyed 70% of each seedling's root system, only about 30% of the seedlings survived and subsequent growth was reduced compared with that of undamaged plants.
Parallel association rule mining based on FI-growth algorithm

Association rule mining is one of the most important techniques in data mining. It extracts significant patterns from transaction databases and generates rules used in many decision support applications. Many organizations such as industrial, commercial, or even scientific sites may produce large amount of transactions and attributes. Mining effective rules from such large volumes of data requires much time and computing resources. In this paper, we propose a parallel Fl-growth association rule mining algorithm for rapid extraction of frequent itemsets from large dense databases. We also show that this algorithm can efficiently be parallelized in a cluster computing environment. The preliminary experiments provide quite promising results, with nearly ideal scaling on small clusters and about half of ideal (15 fold speedup) on a thirty-two processor cluster.
Modeling and efficient cancellation of nonlinear self-interference in MIMO full-duplex transceivers

This paper addresses the modeling and digital cancellation of self-interference in in-band full-duplex (FD) transceivers with multiple transmit and receive antennas. The self-interference modeling and the proposed nonlinear spatio-temporal digital canceller structure takes into account, by design, the effects of I/Q modulator imbalances and power amplifier (PA) nonlinearities with memory, in addition to the multipath self-interference propagation channels and the analog RF cancellation stage. The proposed solution is the first cancellation technique in the literature which can handle such a self-interference scenario. It is shown by comprehensive simulations with realistic RF component parameters and with two different PA models to clearly outperform the current state-of-the-art digital self-interference cancellers, and to clearly extend the usable transmit power range.
The Decision To End Abusive Relationships

Much research has focused on the ways in which various community and criminal justice agencies attempt to intervene to break the cycle of domestic violence. Ultimately, this is the victim’s decision, yet few researchers have attempted to identify the factors involved in the decision to end an abusive relationship. In particular, researchers have tended to ignore the role offender characteristics may play in this decision. This study, based on interview data collected from domestic violence victims by members of an innovative community-based victim assistance program, suggests that these factors are important. Logistic regression analyses demonstrate that the most important predictors of women attempting to end abusive relationships were (a) when offenders kept weapons in the home and (b) when there had been a formal criminal justice response (i.e., arrest, prosecution) to the violence.
Can patterns of coping explain more? a study of coping and emotions in surgical stress

Abstract Patterns of coping, defined as complex sets of coping strategies, were identified in a group of surgical patients awaiting surgery. The patterns were labelled as asthenic, problem-oriented, active and avoidant. The four patterns consisted of different combinations of eight forms of coping, measured by the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. The obtained results show that—compared to the coping strategies analysed separately—those coping patterns were poorer predictors of the emotional outcome. Patients assigned to groups representing particular coping patterns showed different levels of anxiety measured at the beginning of hospitalization; however, no differences or changes in emotions were observed after a one-week lapse. More relationships were found between the coping strategies and measures of negative emotions (anxiety and anger) and their changes.
LACAR: Location Aided Congestion Aware Routing in Wireless Sensor Networks

Trade-off between energy-efficiency and reliability in wireless sensor networks is application dependent. Without the reliability, the extended lifetime of a network is of limited use. Due to the inherent correlation between reliability and congestion, it is necessary to reduce congestion to improve reliability. Existing congestion control algorithms in wireless sensor networks are reactive. They attempt to reduce the congestion only after its detection. In this paper, we present Location Aided Congestion Aware Routing (LACAR) protocol that proactively avoids congestion formation and improves data delivery success rate in data gathering wireless sensor networks. Location, energy and congestion information of neighbours together with the location information of the base station determine appropriate routes. Simulation results show that LACAR achieves high packet success rate in an energy-efficient way.
Education and dementia

Background: Low education seems to be associated with an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD). People with low education have unhealthier lifestyles and more cardiovascular risk factors, but it is unclear how this affects the association between education and dementia. Methods: Participants of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) study were derived from random, population-based samples previously studied in a survey in 1972, 1977, 1982, or 1987. After an average follow-up of 21 years, 1,449 individuals (72%) aged 65 to 79 participated in a re-examination in 1998. Results: Compared to individuals with formal education of 5 years or less, those with 6 to 8 years of education had OR of 0.57 (95% CI 0.29 to 1.13), and those with 9 years of education or more had OR of 0.16 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.41) for dementia. The corresponding ORs for AD were 0.49 (0.24 to 1.00) and 0.15 (0.05 to 0.40). The associations remained unchanged after adjustments for several demographic, socioeconomic, vascular, and lifestyle characteristics. The results were similar among both men and women. ApoE4 did not modify the association, but the risk of dementia and AD was very low among ApoE4 noncarriers with high education. Conclusions: The association between low education and dementia is probably not explained by the unhealthy lifestyles of the less educated compared with higher educated persons. Higher educated persons may have a greater cognitive reserve that can postpone the clinical manifestation of dementia. Unhealthy lifestyles may independently contribute to the depletion of this reserve or directly influence the underlying pathologic processes. GLOSSARY: AD = Alzheimer disease; CAIDE = Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia; DSM-IV = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition; MMSE = Mini-Mental State Examination; NINCDS-ADRDA = National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association; SBP = systolic blood pressure.
A Feasibility Study of Valerian Extract for Sleep Disturbance in Person With Arthritis

Objectives: To present a pilot study of valerian to explore issues of feasibility and efficacy in studies of sedative herbs for arthritis-related sleep disturbance. Methods: Fifteen persons with arthritis and mild sleep disturbance were randomized to receive 600 mg valerian (Valeriana officinalis, n = 7) or placebo (n = 8) for five nights. Results: Protocol adherence (dosing and data collection) was high. Allocation concealment was successful using a novel approach for matching the placebo on the distinctive odor of valerian. Nonsignificant differences between the groups were found on all sleep outcomes, measured by daily diaries and wrist actigraphy. Conclusion: The study methods were feasible, except for recruitment issues (addressed in the discussion), and may guide the testing of other sedative herbs for persons with arthritis. Although efficacy outcomes were inconclusive due to the small sample size of this study, recent evidence from larger trials of valerian also does not support its efficacy.
Exploiting application dynamism and cloud elasticity for continuous dataflows

Contemporary continuous data flow systems use elastic scaling on distributed cloud resources to handle variable data rates and to meet applications' needs while attempting to maximize resource utilization. However, virtualized clouds present an added challenge due to the variability in resource performance - over time and space - thereby impacting the application's QoS. Elastic use of cloud resources and their allocation to continuous dataflow tasks need to adapt to such infrastructure dynamism. In this paper, we develop the concept of “dynamic dataflows” as an extension to continuous dataflows that utilizes alternate tasks and allows additional control over the dataflow's cost and QoS. We formalize an optimization problem to perform both deployment and runtime cloud resource management for such dataflows, and define an objective function that allows trade-off between the application's value against resource cost. We present two novel heuristics, local and global, based on the variable sized bin packing heuristics to solve this NP-hard problem. We evaluate the heuristics against a static allocation policy for a dataflow with different data rate profiles that is simulated using VM performance traces from a private cloud data center. The results show that the heuristics are effective in intelligently utilizing cloud elasticity to mitigate the effect of both input data rate and cloud resource performance variabilities on QoS.
Sputum Levels of Reduced Glutathione Increase 24 Hours after Allergen Challenge in Isolated Early, but Not Dual Asthmatic Responders

Background: The pathogenesis of late asthmatic reactions after allergen challenge in contrast to isolated early responses is incompletely understood. Recently, the antioxidant glutathione and endogenous nitrosothiols were shown to protect against bronchoconstriction. We compared reduced (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and nitrosothiols in induced sputum following allergen challenge in mild asthmatics with isolated early (EAR) and dual early and late (LAR) asthmatic responses. Methods: Exhaled nitric oxide, sputum cells and sputum supernatant concentrations of GSH, GSSG and nitrosothiols were quantified 2–5 days prior to and 24 h after allergen challenge in 24 mild asthmatics (12 EAR, 12 LAR, only beta-agonists prn). Results: There were no differences at baseline between EAR and LAR asthmatics for any of the parameters (p > 0.1, all comparisons). Mean ± SD fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s, expressed as the percentage decrease compared to the baseline value, between 3 and 8 h after allergen challenge was 1 ± 5% in the group of patients without LAR vs. 24.9 ± 8.7% in the group of patients with LAR (p < 0.001). Sputum eosinophils increased in both groups (p < 0.05, both comparisons), whereas neutrophils only increased in LAR subjects (p = 0.06 vs. EAR). In contrast, GSH was significantly increased 24 h after challenge only in EAR asthmatics [geometric mean with 95% confidence intervals: before: 3.3 µM (1.25–7.9 µM), after: 5.9 µM (2.7–12.9 µM), p = 0.05; mean difference vs. LAR subjects: 6 µM (0.1–12 µM), p = 0.048], and the proportion of GSSG was positively correlated with postallergen eosinophils in all patients (rho = 0.4, p = 0.05). There was no change in nitrosothiols after 24 h in either EAR or LAR subjects (p > 0.23, all comparisons). Conclusions: GSH increases 24 h after allergen challenge in isolated early responders. These data suggest that different adoptive responses to allergen may result in different physiologic phenotypes. Further studies on the role of glutathione in allergen-induced bronchoconstriction are clearly warranted.
The Disposition Toward Critical Thinking: Its Character, Measurement, and Relationship to Critical Thinking Skill

Theorists have hypothesized that skill in critical thinking is positively correlated with the consistent internal motivation to think and that specific critical thinking skills are matched with specific critical thinking dispositions. If true, these assumptions suggest that a skill-focused curriculum would lead persons to be both willing and able to think. This essay presents a researchbased expert consensus definition of critical thinking, argues that human dispositions are neither hidden nor unknowable, describes a scientific process of developing conventional testing tools to measure cognitive skills and human dispositions, and summarizes recent empirical research findings that explore the possible relationship of critical thinking skill and the consistent internal motivation, or disposition, to use that skill. Empirical studies indicate that for all practical purposes the hypothesized correlations are not evident. It would appear that effective teaching must include strategies for building intellectual character rather than relying exclusively on strengthening cognitive skills
An Atomic Model Based Optimization Algorithm

In this paper, an optimization algorithm is proposed for solving combinatorial optimization problems. The designing of the algorithm is based on the Bohr's atomic model. Microcosm of physics and chemistry such as excitation and de-excitation of electrons in atom and atom's bond formation phenomenon are the key mechanism of this algorithm. Atoms form compounds to minimize the energy of their electrons and become more stable, with this quest positively charged atoms attracts negatively charged atoms to form bonds among them. Utilizing these phenomenon to attain more stable state of an atom, a novel strategy is incorporated into the algorithm. This stable state is resembled with global optima in the proposed algorithm. Performance of proposed algorithm is analyzed on real life combinatorial optimization problems.
Exploring the Discursive Positioning of a Schizophrenic Inpatient via Method Triangulation

The article examines the contribution of method triangulation to the study of the self-construction of a schizophrenic inpatient in several encounters with a psychiatrist. We used institutional conversation analysis to probe the data for interactional sequence organization, while a positioning analysis enabled us to explore different levels of interpersonal positioning. Positioning is defined as a process whereby interlocutors locate one or several dimensions of their self in relation to others. Using these analyses, we identified, described, and interpreted the inpatient's discursive attempts, successes, and failures to construct who she was in the psychiatrist-inpatient encounters. The theoretical, methodological, and method frameworks are presented in the first, second, third, and fourth sections. Then, illustrative data are presented and analyzed in the fifth and sixth sections. Finally, the insights gained from the analyses, as well as the contribution of method triangulation, are elaborated on in the discussion.