Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coleman Revisited

Students from minority segregated schools tend to achieve and attain less than similar students from White segregated schools. This study examines whether peer effects can explain this relationship using normative models and frog-pond models. Normative models (where peers become alike) suggest that minority schoolmates are a liability. Frog-pond models (where students benefit from recognition) suggest that minority schoolmates are an asset. Data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study and the Census show that students from minority-concentrated schools attain less education in the long run than students from White-concentrated schools net of many covariates. Both normative processes and frog-pond processes (especially from class rank) help explain attainment, but they tend to cancel each other out and make the net effect of peers in minority and white concentrated schools small.
Multiobjective Evolutionary Optimization of a Surface Mounted PM Actuator With Fractional Slot Winding for Aerospace Applications

Overall optimization of electromechanical aerospace actuators requires a multiobjective analysis to account for both performance and efficiency, while considering technical costs, due to the conflicting nature of the respective criteria. This paper introduces a particular multiobjective, population-based optimization methodology, using the differential evolution algorithm combined with manufacturing cost and motor-clean-interface related constraints. A magnetic equivalent circuit model is implemented and integrated in the process to account for flux leakage effects. The methodology presents stable convergence characteristics and has been applied to further extend previous work regarding the optimization of a fractional slot concentrated winding surface mounted permanent magnet motor. The resultant motor design has been validated through a prototype and experimental results illustrated its suitability for aerospace actuation.
Prescribed Drug Use and the Management of Everyday Life: The Experiences of Black and White Working-Class Women

Social scientific studies of prescribed drug use have played an important part in heightening awareness that their use can best be understood when considered within a social context. From a sociological point of view, however, these studies often suffer from limitations which restrict their descriptive and explanatory power. This paper discusses these limitations before attempting to develop an alternative approach which focuses on the meanings attached to prescribed drug use, and relates these meanings to the ways in whch the users of these drugs manage their everyday lives as members of particular collectivities. In order to bridge the gap between structure and experience prescribed drugs are conceptualised as resources which, along with other material and socio-cultural resources, are both differentially available and variously experienced. Taking minor tranquillisers/hypnotics (e.g. Valium, Mogadon) as a test case attention is focused first on these drugs' availability to samples of black and white working-class women and the meanings which they attribute to these drugs. The different patterns of drug use which are found are then related to these women's varying access to and experience of a range of other resources (including paid work, social supports, leisure, cigarettes and religion). This provides a basis for explaining different patterns of drug use and hopefully illustrates the usefulness of ‘resource’ as a bridging concept between social structure and everyday life.
Fair Treatment by Authorities is Related to Children's and Adolescents' Evaluations of Interracial Exclusion

This study investigated U.S. ethnic majority and minority youth's perceptions of fair and unfair treatment by authorities and evaluations of three situations of interracial exclusion (N = 685). Findings revealed that older adolescents who reported fair treatment by authorities were more likely to perceive wrongfulness in interracial exclusion scenarios than were their peers who reported unfair treatment. Additionally, in explaining the wrongfulness of interracial exclusion, older adolescents who had not experienced unfair treatment by authorities were more likely to mention racial prejudice than were their counterparts who had experienced unfair treatment. Results are discussed with reference to developmental theory on authority relations and the positive benefits of authority-adolescent relationships that reflect just and fair treatment.
A new breed of electric machines - basic analysis and applications of dual mechanical port electric machines

Conceptually, mechanical port of an electric machine can be doubled and the concept of dual-mechanical-port (DMP) will then give birth to a new breed of electric machines. In this paper, the various possible structures of DMP electric machine are discussed. Basic modeling and analysis issues related to the DMP electric machine are presented. An exemplary design of DMP machine is given and verified by FEM results. Potential applications and future research work are given to conclude the paper.
GROWTH HORMONE SECRETION IN PRIMARY DEGENERATIVE DEMENTIA: CORRELATIONS WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Changes in brain peptides and neurotransmitters are thought to elicit alterations of growth hormone (GH) secretion in dementia. Baseline GH levels and hormone responses to GH‐releasing hormone (GHRH)—administered alone or after pyridostigmine pretreatment—were evaluated in 17 patients, aged 52–83, with primary degenerative dementia quantified by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Scale and the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) with a view to detecting correlations between neuroendocrine and clinical data. Basal GH levels were not statistically different in patients and in age‐matched controls. However, when patients were split into the three CDR groups of disease severity, basal GH levels were significantly higher in those with more severe dementia than in all other patients and in controls. GH responses to GHRH, evaluated both in terms of peaks attained after simulation and of secretion areas under the curve (AUC), were significantly higher in patients than in controls after pyridostigmine pretreatment, but not after the infusion of GHRH alone. Patients with mild to moderate dementia had GH peaks after GHRH higher than more severe patients. Pyridostigmine did not potentiate GHRH effects in the more severe cases. The scores on Rey's 15‐word test for memory function were directly correlated with GH peaks after GHRH. No correlations were found between GH data, age, body weight, disease duration and scores at other psychometric assessments such as MMSE, Raven's matrices, verbal fluency or WAIS tests.
Brimon: a sensor network system for railway bridge monitoring

Railway systems are critical in many regions, and can consist of several tens of thousands of bridges, being used over several decades. It is critical to have a system to monitor the health of these bridges and report when and where maintenance operations are needed. This paper presents BriMon, a wireless sensor network based system for such monitoring. The design of BriMon is driven by two important factors: application requirements, and detailed measurement studies of several pieces of the architecture. In comparison with prior bridge monitoring systems and sensor network prototypes, our contributions are three-fold. First, we have designed a novel event detection mechanism that triggers data collection in response to an oncoming train. Next, BriMon employs a simple yet effective multi-channel data transfer mechanism to transfer the collected data onto a sink located on the moving train. Third, the BriMon architecture is designed with careful consideration of the interaction between the multiple requisite functionalities such as time synchronization, event detection, routing, and data transfer. Based on a prototype implementation, this paper also presents several measurement studies to show that our design choices are indeed quite effective.
A new method for evaluation Market Power and identification of dominant suppliers in reactive power markets

Market Power normally is defined as the ability to profitably alter prices away from competitive levels. Market Power is a significant issue for restructured electricity markets around the world. One of the concerns for any power market is whether individual participants can increase their profits by withholding generation from the market. To address this concern, the existence of some tools and indices for identification of dominant suppliers with more potential of exercising market power and controlling them is so important. Market power problems are more complicated in reactive power markets than those in other markets due to the specific properties of this ancillary service. Market Power problem in reactive power markets is investigated and analyzed in this paper. A new index for assessment the potential of reactive suppliers to exercise market power is presented in this paper. Reactive Must Procurement (RMP) is introduced as the minimum capacity of reactive power which must be provided by a reactive resource (whether in generation or absorption mode) to supply reactive requirements of system considering generation and transmission constraints. The proposed index is illustrated using IEEE 57- bus test system.
Inflammatory Properties and Adjuvant Potential of Synthetic Glycolipids Homologous to Mycolate Esters of the Cell Wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The cell wall of mycobacteria is characterised by glycolipids composed of different classes of mycolic acids (MAs; alpha-, keto-, and methoxy-) and sugars (trehalose, glucose, and arabinose). Studies using mutant Mtb strains have shown that the structure of MAs influences the inflammatory potential of these glycolipids. As mutant Mtb strains possess a complex mixture of glycolipids, we analysed the inflammatory potential of single classes of mycolate esters of the Mtb cell wall using 38 different synthetic analogues. Our results show that synthetic trehalose dimycolate (TDM) and trehalose, glucose, and arabinose monomycolates (TMM, GMM, and AraMM) activate bone marrow-derived dendritic cells in terms of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) and reactive oxygen species, upregulation of costimulatory molecules, and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome by a mechanism dependent on Mincle. These findings demonstrate that Mincle receptor can also recognise pentose esters and seem to contradict the hypothesis that production of GMM is an escape mechanism used by pathogenic mycobacteria to avoid recognition by the innate immune system. Finally, our experiments indicate that TMM and GMM, as well as TDM, can promote Th1 and Th17 responses in mice in an OVA immunisation model, and that further analysis of their potential as novel adjuvants for subunit vaccines is warranted.
Quality-of-Service Routing for Supporting Multimedia Applications

Several new architectures have been developed for supporting multimedia applications such as digital video and audio. However, quality-of-service (QoS) routing is an important element that is still missing from these architectures. In this paper, we consider a number of issues in QoS routing. We first examine the basic problem of QoS routing, namely, finding a path that satisfies multiple constraints, and its implications on routing metric selection, and then present three path computation algorithms for source routing and for hop-by-hop routing.
Formation of microtubule-based traps controls the sorting and concentration of vesicles to restricted sites of regenerating neurons after axotomy

Transformation of a transected axonal tip into a growth cone (GC) is a critical step in the cascade leading to neuronal regeneration. Critical to the regrowth is the supply and concentration of vesicles at restricted sites along the cut axon. The mechanisms underlying these processes are largely unknown. Using online confocal imaging of transected, cultured Aplysia californica neurons, we report that axotomy leads to reorientation of the microtubule (MT) polarities and formation of two distinct MT-based vesicle traps at the cut axonal end. Approximately 100 μm proximal to the cut end, a selective trap for anterogradely transported vesicles is formed, which is the plus end trap. Distally, a minus end trap is formed that exclusively captures retrogradely transported vesicles. The concentration of anterogradely transported vesicles in the former trap optimizes the formation of a GC after axotomy.
The Myth of ‘Three Italies’: Differences and Similarities in Environmental Values Between Macro-Regions

ABSTRACT One of the most frequently perceived divisions in Italy is that of a substantial cultural discrepancy in the environmental values of the North, the Centre and the South. The recent and prolonged waste crisis in Southern Italy reinforced this common public discourse. There are, however, no recent studies that have explored these alleged differences. This study aims to fill this hiatus by analysing differences across macro-regions in terms of the endorsement of basic environmental values. Differences in environmental values are examined using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale with a multi-level variance components analysis. The findings suggest that whilst dissimilarities between macro-regions do exist, they are not in fact as significant as might be expected, thus indicating the existence of a national cultural homogeneity in terms of ‘primitive’ beliefs towards nature and humanity's relationship with it. The findings also highlight the problems of ‘Ecological Fallacy’ and underscore the complexity of the relationship between values and behaviour.
Thermal Expansion of Polytetrafluo roethylene (Teflon) From -190° to +300° C

The linear thermal expansion of four samples of Teflon was determined. The results for annealed Teflon are indicated in a plot of the expansion veisus temperature and in a table listing the average coefficients of linear expansion from —190° to +300° C. The effect of internal residual stresses on the expansion of Teflon was studied and found to be considerable. The first-order transitions at 20° and 30° C are clearly shown in a plot of the coefficients of expansion versus temperature.
Just intelligence: Prolegomena to an ethical theory

At various points in a career as a United Kingdom civil servant, working mostly in the defence field, I was a customer of secret intelligence, and after leaving full-time government employment I carried out in 1994 for the Prime Minister of the day a study on certain aspects of it. (Though the fact of this study soon became public knowledge, it was not until 2006 that limited elements of the report were released to public inspection at the National Archives.) I had long taken an interest in the ethics of military conflict, and in 2000, at an Oxford conference on intelligence (later reflected in a book) I ventured the suggestion that there was a case for developing a theory of ‘just intelligence’, on the analogy of ‘just war’ theory. I was subsequently challenged to contribute to such a task; and the present essay – by someone who is neither an intelligence professional nor a moral philosopher – offers accordingly some prolegomena, in the hope of providing stimulus to more thorough and expert addressal by others. In the course of developing it I have become increasingly aware that the field is very far from being untilled; but there is work yet to be done, particularly in the climate of heightened concern about intelligence work in the context of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Two basic questions present themselves at the outset of reflection. First: why should we be concerned at all with ethics in this field – is it not quintessentially one where Machiavelli and realpolitik have to rule? There are aspects of the intelligence business, as practised by all major countries, that seem notably disreputable by the behavioural standards of normal human settings; what purchase can ethics expect to have? ‘Intelligence ethics’ is an oxymoron’, a long-serving officer from the US Central Intelligence Agency was once quoted as saying. In the discussion at the Oxford conference one hardened intelligence professional – not from Britain or the United States – said of ethics in this field, with a dismissive wave of the hand, ‘I leave all that to the clerics’. But that surely will not do. By contrast, Admiral Stansfield
Stressful situations in competitive basketball

Abstract Self-reported stress was investigated in 84 male basketball players (mean age: 23 years) regularly engaged in organised, competitive grade basketball. The subjects were administered the Stressful Situations in Basketball Questionnaire (SSBQ), designed to measure perceived stress in competitive situations. The most stressful situations were found to be “a slump in personal form” and “the team is losing and the opposition is holding up play”. The most commonly experienced category of stressor, according to the frequency of responses on the SSBQ, was Errors in General Play (Scale 3). Other highly endorsed scales were Being Outplayed (Scale 1), Other Performance (Scale 6), and Game Tension (Scale 4). Analyses by independent t tests indicated that while there were no differences according to experience, players who said that they trained more reported negative team performance situations as more stressful than those who trained less. This finding appears to reflect a greater investment in the team's p.
Robot Cognitive Control with a Neurophysiologically Inspired Reinforcement Learning Model

A major challenge in modern robotics is to liberate robots from controlled industrial settings, and allow them to interact with humans and changing environments in the real-world. The current research attempts to determine if a neurophysiologically motivated model of cortical function in the primate can help to address this challenge. Primates are endowed with cognitive systems that allow them to maximize the feedback from their environment by learning the values of actions in diverse situations and by adjusting their behavioral parameters (i.e., cognitive control) to accommodate unexpected events. In such contexts uncertainty can arise from at least two distinct sources – expected uncertainty resulting from noise during sensory-motor interaction in a known context, and unexpected uncertainty resulting from the changing probabilistic structure of the environment. However, it is not clear how neurophysiological mechanisms of reinforcement learning and cognitive control integrate in the brain to produce efficient behavior. Based on primate neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, we propose a novel computational model for the interaction between lateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex reconciling previous models dedicated to these two functions. We deployed the model in two robots and demonstrate that, based on adaptive regulation of a meta-parameter β that controls the exploration rate, the model can robustly deal with the two kinds of uncertainties in the real-world. In addition the model could reproduce monkey behavioral performance and neurophysiological data in two problem-solving tasks. A last experiment extends this to human–robot interaction with the iCub humanoid, and novel sources of uncertainty corresponding to “cheating” by the human. The combined results provide concrete evidence for the ability of neurophysiologically inspired cognitive systems to control advanced robots in the real-world.
Transfer effects in implicit memory and consumer choice

Two experiments investigated transfer effects in implicit memory and consumer choice, using a preference judgement task. Experiment 1 examined whether it is possible to obtain priming for unfamiliar food labels. Additionally, it investigated whether the experience of seeing a brand name with a particular product type would benefit subsequent processing of the brand name when linked with a different product type. Experiment 2 examined whether changes in modality between study and test would affect priming for unfamiliar brand names. Both questions are theoretically important, as well as pertaining to practical concerns in the consumer choice literature. Experiment 1 demonstrated significant priming for unfamiliar food labels, and established that priming was unaffected by changing the product type with which the brand name was associated. In Experiment 2, priming on both auditory and visual versions of the preference judgement task was reduced by changes in modality. The results and implications are discussed in relation to consumer choice and current theories of implicit memory. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of boundary roughness on a Q factor of whispering-gallery-mode lasing microdisk cavities

We perform numerical studies of the effect of sidewall imperfections on the resonant state broadening of the optical microdisk cavities for lasing applications. We demonstrate that even small edge roughness (≲λ/30) causes a drastic degradation of high-Q whispering gallery (WG)-mode resonances reducing their Q values by many orders of magnitude. At the same time, low-Q WG resonances are rather insensitive to the surface roughness. The results of numerical simulation obtained using the scattering matrix technique, are analyzed and explained in terms of wave reflection at a curved dielectric interface combined with the examination of Poincare surface of sections in the classical ray picture.