Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Racial fantasies and the primal scene of miscegenation

The primal scene, theorized by Freud in his case history of the Wolf Man, is a fantasy scenario thoroughly embedded in social relations. While pursuing his analysis of oedipal structures in the Wolf Man’s case history, Freud overlooked social relations, downplaying the importance of racial and class difference in the Wolf Man’s sexual etiology. In this essay, I trace the circulation of two fantasy structures: ‘the primal scene of miscegenation’ and ‘A black man is being beaten,’ both of which structure desire in both Freud ’s era and our own. I interpret Fanon’s work on racial subjectivity alongside Freud ’s theory of fantasy to elucidate the interconnected nature of racial and sexual difference in both Freud and Fanon’s theories. The racial fantasies proposed in this essay have application to clinical settings, where they may structure transference and countertransference.
Testing for Information with Brain Decoding

Is there information about the stimulus given to the subject within brain data? The brain decoding approach tries to answer this question by means of machine learning algorithms. A classifier is learned from a small sample of brain data that is class-labeled according to the stimuli provided to the subject during the experiment. The classifier is tested on a different small sample, the test set, in order to observe the number of misclassifications. The idea is that accurate prediction provides evidence of the presence of information about stimuli within brain data. In this work we show the connection between information theory and learning theory in order to bridge the gap between the initial information question and the observed number of classification errors on a small test set. We propose a hierarchical model about this connection and a related statistical test about the presence of information. This test lies within the Bayesian hypothesis testing framework and is compared against the classical binomial test of the null hypothesis testing framework. We show the empirical similarity between the two tests and present an application on a real neuroimaging dataset about a covert spatial attention task.
Pseudo-linear Automatic Gain Control system based on Nanoscale Field Effect Diode and SOI-MOSFET

The use of field effect diode (FED) together with double gate (DG) silicon on insulator (SOI) MOSFET for implementing variable gain amplifier (VGA) in automatic gain control (AGC) systems are investigated in this paper. These VGA circuits show better characteristics in terms of power and bandwidth compared with MOSFET-VGA. Using the FED and DG SOI-MOSFET devices, leads to more flexibility in terms of better gain control, performance improvement, and power consumption reduction.
Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Induce Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mediated Autophagic Cell Death via Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane Disruption in Normal Lung Cells

Nanomaterials are used in diverse fields including food, cosmetic, and medical industries. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NP) are widely used, but their effects on biological systems and mechanism of toxicity have not been elucidated fully. Here, we report the toxicological mechanism of TiO2-NP in cell organelles. Human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE14o-) were exposed to 50 and 100 μg/mL TiO2-NP for 24 and 48 h. Our results showed that TiO2-NP induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the cells and disrupted the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAMs) and calcium ion balance, thereby increasing autophagy. In contrast, an inhibitor of ER stress, tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), mitigated the cellular toxic response, suggesting that TiO2-NP promoted toxicity via ER stress. This novel mechanism of TiO2-NP toxicity in human bronchial epithelial cells suggests that further exhaustive research on the harmful effects of these nanoparticles in relevant organisms is needed for their safe application.
Journalism and Criticism: The Case of an Undeveloped Profession

It is a truism, albeit a contentious one, that in the United States there is no tradition of sustained, systematic, and intellectually sound criticism of the press. The press is certainly one of our most important institutions but in serious attention it ranks slightly ahead of soccer and slightly behind baseball. The press is attacked and often vilified, but it is not subject to sustained critical analysis—not in public, and rarely within universities or the press itself.
Estimating regional methane surface fluxes: the relative importance of surface and GOSAT mole fraction measurements

We use an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), to- gether with the GEOS-Chem chemistry transport model, to estimate regional monthly methane (CH4) fluxes for the pe- riod June 2009-December 2010 using proxy dry-air column- averaged mole fractions of methane (XCH4) from GOSAT (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite) and/or NOAA ESRL (Earth System Research Laboratory) and CSIRO GASLAB (Global Atmospheric Sampling Laboratory) CH4 surface mole fraction measurements. Global posterior esti- mates using GOSAT and/or surface measurements are be- tween 510-516 Tg yr 1 , which is less than, though within the uncertainty of, the prior global flux of 529 ± 25 Tg yr 1 . We find larger differences between regional prior and pos- terior fluxes, with the largest changes in monthly emissions (75 Tg yr 1 ) occurring in Temperate Eurasia. In non-boreal regions the error reductions for inversions using the GOSAT data are at least three times larger (up to 45 %) than if only surface data are assimilated, a reflection of the greater spa- tial coverage of GOSAT, with the two exceptions of latitudes > 60 associated with a data filter and over Europe where the surface network adequately describes fluxes on our model spatial and temporal grid. We use CarbonTracker and GEOS- Chem XCO2 model output to investigate model error on quantifying proxy GOSAT XCH4 (involving model XCO2) and inferring methane flux estimates from surface mole frac- tion data and show similar resulting fluxes, with differences reflecting initial differences in the proxy value. Using a se- ries of observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) we characterize the posterior flux error introduced by non- uniform atmospheric sampling by GOSAT. We show that clear-sky measurements can theoretically reproduce fluxes within 10 % of true values, with the exception of tropical regions where, due to a large seasonal cycle in the num- ber of measurements because of clouds and aerosols, fluxes are within 15 % of true fluxes. We evaluate our posterior methane fluxes by incorporating them into GEOS-Chem and sampling the model at the location and time of surface CH4 measurements from the AGAGE (Advanced Global Atmo- spheric Gases Experiment) network and column XCH4 mea- surements from TCCON (Total Carbon Column Observing Network). The posterior fluxes modestly improve the model agreement with AGAGE and TCCON data relative to prior fluxes, with the correlation coefficients ( r 2 ) increasing by a mean of 0.04 (range: 0.17 to 0.23) and the biases de- creasing by a mean of 0.4 ppb (range: 8.9 to 8.4 ppb).
Listening to Santa Rita: A Critical Examination of Service-learning Practice

While participating in a short-term service-learning based course in Honduras, the authors interviewed residents of Santa Rita, a small high poverty village, concerning their perceptions of the impact of service groups working in the community. This article presents the interview findings interwoven with the authors’ personal reflections. One author addresses the question of whether service work is fostering dependency among community members. The second author describes her awakening to the reality that her initial perception of the community’s values and needs differed from those of community members. The third author describes the community members’ lack of awareness that the act of service and the relationships built across borders is as much a gift for those providing service as for those receiving it. Following the reflections, the faculty director provides implications for effectively leading service-learning programs.
Alcohol and Ethnography: A Case of Problem Deflation? [and Comments and Reply]

The modern ethnographic literature on alcohol tends to underestimate problems due to drinking. This "problem deflation" probably reflects a concurrence of various assumptions, methods, and theoretical orientations. Functionalist assumptions direct attention more to the gains than to the losses involved in drinking. The pleasures of drinking are more easily observed, given the ethnographer's focus on the everyday and the social, than the private pains and the rarer events-casualties, chronic disease mortality, etc.-that are the focus for epidemiologists; the ethnographer may also be less likely to notice abstention. English-speaking and North European researchers have dominated the literature, and those who came to maturity in the last half-century were reacting against the moralism of the later temperance movement and committed to a middle-class ideal of "moderate drinking. " Ethnographic studies published before 1930 are more likely than later ones to report "extreme" male insobriety and regular drunken brawling. Ethnographers may also have been concerned to differentiate themselves from missionaries, with their emphasis on the immorality of drinking. The ethnographic alcohol literature has tended to accept as a transcultural reality the modern disease concept of alcoholism; since this culture-bound syndrome does not match the difficulties related to drinking in many cultures, ethnographers have often concluded that alcohol problems are rare. The immersion in concrete data has muted the effect of these factors on the literature, but there is a need to reexamine conclusions concerning culture and alcohol based on it. In the new generation of alcohol ethnographers, often working within their own society, problem amplification may be more of an issue than problem deflation.
A sparse approach for the presence detection of long-code DS-SS signals

In this paper, the presence detection of long-code direct sequence spread spectrum signals (DS-SS) in low signal to noise ratio (SNR) using the sensor array are considered. A sparse method, which is fast and computationally efficient, is proposed for the presence detection of these signals. The proposed method is based on the phase linearity of the cross channel terms of the wideband spatial covariance (R) matrices. In addition, a new sample R matrix estimation technique, which is sparse and called as block of consecutive frequency bins (BCFB), is proposed. The proposed BCFB technique provides a fast signal detection which is the desirable for the real time applications. It is shown in various simulations that the proposed detection method can detect long-code DS-SS signals in very low SNR.
A novel SOI lateral-power MOSFET with a self-aligned drift region

In this letter, a novel drift-region self-aligned SOI lateral-power MOSFET using a partial exposure technique is proposed and demonstrated for RF power amplifier applications. The drift self-aligned structure was achieved using a simple process and without the need of an additional mask. Furthermore, the drift length can be controlled conveniently using different layout designs. The fabricated SOI power device has a breakdown voltage of over 20 V. Using a 0.7-/spl mu/m nonsilicide technology, the cutoff frequency (f/sub t/) and maximum oscillation frequency (f/sub max/) of the device are 10.1 and 13.7 GHz, respectively.
Advances on circulating fetal DNA in maternal plasma.

he discovery of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma in 1997 has opened up new possibilities for noninvasive diagnosis. By RT-PCR, circulating fetal DNA can be detected in the plasma of pregnant women, even in the first trimester of pregnancy, and thus can be used for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of sex-linked disorders, the RhD status of fetuses, and single gene disorders such as beta-thalassaemia, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and achondroplasia. In addition, quantitative aberrations of circulating fetal DNA may indicate various pregnancy-associated disorders, including preeclampsia, preterm labor and fetal trisomy 21.
New trends and future applications/directions of institutional repositories in academic institutions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the recent literature about institutional repositories (IRs) including the benefits and possible obstacles of setting up an IR. It will also discuss librarians' and authors' participative roles and open access. In conclusion, the paper aims to consider the future of IRs and finally makes recommendations for their successful implementation in academic institutions.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on the recently published literature discussing current trends in IRs; although, some historical reference is also necessary to provide background to the open access movement and the early development of IRs. Given that the paper is an account of the history and current status of IRs, a formal documented methodology is not applicable.Findings – The discussion suggests that in spite of all the obstacles to successful implementation, including associated negative perceptions, IRs have been increasingly recognised as a vital tool for scholarly communic.
A Simple AoA Estimation Scheme

We propose an intuitive, simple and hardware friendly, yet surprisingly novel and efficient, received signal's angle of arrival (AoA) estimation scheme. Our intuitive, two-phases cross-correlation based scheme relies on a switched beam antenna array, which is used to collect an omni-directional signal using few elements of the antenna array in the first phase. In the second phase, the scheme switches the main beam of the antenna array to scan the angular region of interest. The collected signal from each beam (direction or angle) is cross correlated with the omni-directional signal. The cross-correlation coefficient will be the highest at the correct AoA and relatively negligible elsewhere. The proposed scheme simplicity stems from its low computational complexity (only cross-correlation and comparison operations are required) and its independence of the transmitted signal structure (does not require information about the transmitted signal). The proposed scheme requires a receiver with switched beam antenna array, which can be attached to a single radio frequency chain through phase shifters, hence, its hardware friendliness. The high efficiency of our system can be observed by comparing its performance with the literature's best performing MUSIC algorithm. The comparison demonstrates that our scheme outperforms the MUSIC algorithm, specially at low SNR levels. Moreover, the number of sources that can be detected using our scheme is bound by the number of switched beams, rather than the number of antenna elements in the case of the MUSIC algorithm.
Using citation data to improve retrieval from MEDLINE.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether algorithms developed for the World Wide Web can be applied to the biomedical literature in order to identify articles that are important as well as relevant. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS A direct comparison of eight algorithms: simple PubMed queries, clinical queries (sensitive and specific versions), vector cosine comparison, citation count, journal impact factor, PageRank, and machine learning based on polynomial support vector machines. The objective was to prioritize important articles, defined as being included in a pre-existing bibliography of important literature in surgical oncology. RESULTS Citation-based algorithms were more effective than noncitation-based algorithms at identifying important articles. The most effective strategies were simple citation count and PageRank, which on average identified over six important articles in the first 100 results compared to 0.85 for the best noncitation-based algorithm (p < 0.001). The authors saw similar differences between citation-based and noncitation-based algorithms at 10, 20, 50, 200, 500, and 1,000 results (p < 0.001). Citation lag affects performance of PageRank more than simple citation count. However, in spite of citation lag, citation-based algorithms remain more effective than noncitation-based algorithms. CONCLUSION Algorithms that have proved successful on the World Wide Web can be applied to biomedical information retrieval. Citation-based algorithms can help identify important articles within large sets of relevant results. Further studies are needed to determine whether citation-based algorithms can effectively meet actual user information needs.
On the development of protein pKa calculation algorithms

Protein pKa calculation methods are developed partly to provide fast non‐experimental estimates of the ionization constants of protein side chains. However, the most significant reason for developing such methods is that a good pKa calculation method is presumed to provide an accurate physical model of protein electrostatics, which can be applied in methods for drug design, protein design, and other structure‐based energy calculation methods. We explore the validity of this presumption by simulating the development of a pKa calculation method using artificial experimental data derived from a human‐defined physical reality. We examine the ability of an RMSD‐guided development protocol to retrieve the correct (artificial) physical reality and find that a rugged optimization landscape and a huge parameter space prevent the identification of the correct physical reality. We examine the importance of the training set in developing pKa calculation methods and investigate the effect of experimental noise on our ability to identify the correct physical reality, and find that both effects have a significant and detrimental impact on the physical reality of the optimal model identified. Our findings are of relevance to all structure‐based methods for protein energy calculations and simulation, and have large implications for all types of current pKa calculation methods. Our analysis furthermore suggests that careful and extensive validation on many types of experimental data can go some way in making current models more realistic. Proteins 2011; © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Specular Lobe‐Aware Filtering and Upsampling for Interactive Indirect Illumination

Although geometry‐aware filtering and upsampling have often been used for interactive or real‐time rendering, they are unsuitable for glossy surfaces because shading results strongly depend on the bidirectional reflectance distribution functions. This paper proposes a novel weighting function of cross bilateral filtering and upsampling to measure the similarity of specular lobes. The difficulty is that a specular lobe is represented with a distribution function in directional space, whereas conventional cross bilateral filtering evaluates similarities using the distance between two points in a Euclidean space. Therefore, this paper first generalizes cross bilateral filtering for the similarity of distribution functions in a non‐Euclidean space. Then, the weighting function is specialized for specular lobes. Our key insight is that the weighting function of bilateral filtering can be represented with the product integral of two distribution functions corresponding to two pixels. In addition, we propose spherical Gaussian‐based approximations to calculate this weighting function analytically. Our weighting function detects the edges of glossiness, and adapts to all‐frequency materials using only a camera position and G‐buffer. These features are not only suitable for path tracing, but also deferred shading and non‐ray tracing–based methods such as voxel cone tracing.
Night and day changes in heart rate and blood pressure fractal dimensions from 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring devices

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) devices allow measuring changes of BP and heart rate (HR) by periodically inflating an arm cuff. Due to the low sampling rate, only simple indices of BP variability (V) have been considered so far, such as the standard deviation (SD) or the coefficient of variation (CV) of average BP levels over day and night periods. Our aim is to describe day-night changes in a specific feature of ABP complex dynamics: the fractal dimension (FD); and to evaluate whether FD provides complementary information to SD or CV in the description of 24h BPV. We obtained HR and systolic (S) and diastolic (D)BP time series from ABPM readings taken every 15' during the day (6:00-22:00) and every 30' at night (22:0006:00) in 67 hypertensive subjects, and compared daytime vs. nighttime values of SD, VC and FD. FD was estimated by the Higuchi's algorithm (FDH) and by the recently proposed Katz's corrected algorithm (FDc). From day to night, SD decreased significantly (p<;0.01) for SBP, DBP and HR, while VC decreased significantly (p<;0.05) for HR only. FD showed a different behavior, increasing significantly (p<;0.05) for DBP. Therefore FD provides additional information on night/day changes of ABP dynamics not included in SD or CV assessment.
On the stability of the pulsewidth-modulated C/spl acute/uk converter

It has been observed that a stabilizing controller for the state-space-average model of a pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) DC-DC converter does not automatically imply a stabilizing controller for the DC-DC converter itself, especially in the case of the C/spl acute/uk converter. By applying multifrequency averaging as a generalization of the state-space averaging technique, the stationary periodic signals of the C/spl acute/uk converter can be obtained by solving a set of linear equations. Using these equations, we are able to analyze stability aspects of the open-loop and closed-loop PWM C/spl acute/uk converter. Simulations are included in open- and closed-loop situations.
The Strange Career of "Latin-American Studies"

Whatever the recent progress of Latin-American studies in the United States, it is less evident to outsiders than to specialists in the field. Defects of our Latin-American pro grams are most noticeable at the liberal-arts core of humanities and the social sciences. Anthropology, in its present state, offers the best point of departure for examining Latin-American culture; literary and historical studies are especially weak. A drawback to Latin America as a field of study, in contrast to Asia or Africa, is that its culture is deceptively recognizable to Americans. Moreover, our inherited suspicion of the Catho lic world discourages study of its intellectual origins, and pre vents us from identifying its sociological and psychological foundations. Today the wholesale subsidizing of Latin-Ameri can studies threatens to cut them off further from our academic mainstream and to encourage mediocrity. The various causes for the poverty of our Latin-American programs may possibly relate to our submerged doubts about the wisdom of the original Protestant secession.
Talking, Creating: Interactional Language, Creativity, and Context

When creative uses of spoken language have been investigated, the main examples have been restricted to particular contexts such as narrative and related story-telling genres. This paper reports on an initial investigation using the 5 million word CANCODE corpus of everyday spoken English and discusses a range of social contexts in which creative uses of language are manifested. A main conclusion reached is that creative language use often signposts the nature of interpersonal relationships, plays an important role in the construction of identities and is more likely to emerge in social contexts marked by non-institutionalized, symmetrical, and informal talk. The paper also argues that different creative patterns of talk are produced for different purposes, that dines and continua best capture such distinctions and that applications of such understandings to language learning and teaching, including the teaching of literature and culture, can benefit from closer scrutiny of such data.