Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PUNISHMENT AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE REVISITED: UNEMPLOYMENT AND IMPRISONMENT IN THE UNITED STATES, 1948–1984

Several recent empirical studies of imprisonment trends in the United States and Western Europe confirm Rusche and Kirchheimer's thesis that unemployment affects imprisonment directly with crime held constant. This empirical confirmation, however, remains suspect because these studies fail to address alternative explanations adequately. This article examines these alternatives more thoroughly and considers a limitation on the scope of the thesis. In particular, because the thesis concerns competitive labor markets of industrial capitalism, we reason that unemployment plays less of a role in the dynamics of imprisonment where the labor market is less freely competitive. The analysis of post-World War II trends reveals robust results for the Rusche-Kirchheimer thesis and limited empirical support for differences in labor markets.
Leader: Accelerating ReRAM-based main memory by leveraging access latency discrepancy in crossbar arrays

Emerging Resistive Memory (ReRAM) technology is a promising candidate as the replacement to DRAM due to its low leakage power consumption, good scalability, and high density. By employing crossbar structures, the density of ReRAM can be further improved for capacity benefits. However, such structure also causes an IR drop issue due to wire resistance and sneak currents, which lead to an access latency discrepancy in ReRAM memory banks. Existing designs conservatively utilize the worst-case latency of ReRAM arrays, and thus fail to explore the potential of the fast access speed of ReRAM, resulting in suboptimal performance. In this work, we present an asymmetric ReRAM memory design, which separates a crossbar array into multiple logical regions according to their access latency, and further groups logical regions across different crossbars into virtual regions. Based on the observation of access hotspots inside memory banks, we design a table structure to remap memory requests to different virtual regions with non-uniform access latency, so as to match these access hotspots with the underlying asymmetric bank design. We then introduce both static mapping and dynamic mapping schemes to prioritize memory requests from critical applications to the fast regions for better performance. Experimental results show that our design can improve the 4-core system performance by 13.3% and reduce the memory latency by 21.6% on average for a ReRAM-based memory system across memory intensive applications.
More Than Just Friends

The study of peer-group processes has a rich history in criminology. The dramatic growth in online social network websites has fundamentally changed peer-group interaction; however, relatively little research has considered how socialization processes observed in traditional interaction translate to online interaction. Using a sample of 583 undergraduate students from a mid-southern university, this study explores the concurrency between self-reported offending and exposure to criminal behavior in social network websites. Results demonstrate a strong, positive association between individual behavior and exposure to criminal behavior in online networks, suggesting that the processes underlying traditional social interaction also characterize online interaction. These results underscore the importance of online networks for understanding the etiology of criminal behavior.
A framework to aid adoption of automated rehabilitation devices into clinical practice: Synthesising and Interpreting Language for Clinical Kinematics (SILCK)

The Synthesising and Interpreting Language for Clinical Kinematics (SILCK) is an informatic framework for developing software to control automated rehabilitation devices. It aids adoption of devices into rehabilitation practice, by bridging the gap between clinical practice and internal device operation. SILCK defines data entities and processes for capturing clinical observations of patients and their rehabilitation goals in formats which can be used to direct the tailoring of device parameters to the individual patient's needs.
La gestion strategique des resultats. Le modele anglo-saxon convient-il au contexte suisse?

Earnings management may be defined as management intervention in the enterprise financial reporting process for the purpose of varying wealth distribution. Management thereby seeks either to increase or reduce profit, the decision being a junction of implicit or explicit contracts in which the enterprise and management are engaged. Three reasons motivate earnings management: political cost minimisation, financing cost minimisation and manager wealth maximisation. Among the contexts studied we address instances related to regulatory bodies, enterprises in financial difficulty and takeover attempts. We present an earnings management model based on a sample of Swiss companies. Our results generally support hypotheses found in the literature.
EVIDENCE FOR EARLY CIRCUMSTELLAR DISK EVOLUTION IN NGC 2068/71

We study the disk and accretion properties of young stars in the NGC 2068 and NGC 2071 clusters. Using low-resolution optical spectra, we define a membership sample and determine an age for the region of ∼2 Myr. Using high-resolution spectra of the Hα line we study the accretion activity of these likely members and also examine the disk properties of the likely members using IRAC and MIPS mid-infrared photometry. A substantial fraction (79%) of the 67 members have an infrared excess while all of the stars with significant infrared excess show evidence for active accretion. We find three populations of evolved disks (IRAC weak, MIPS weak, and transition disks) all of which show decreased accretion activity in addition to the evidence for evolution in the dust disk.
Automatic 3 D face synthesis using single 2 D video frame

Introduction: Automatic 3D face synthesis plays a crucial role in many applications. One example is real-time 3D model-based video coding. Here, a generic 3D face model should ideally be adapted automatically to a human face in the first video frame. Additionally, facial texture should be acquired without supervision. However, the time-consuming 3D scanner [1] is not accepted for such an automatic system. The method of using two orthogonal photos [2] cannot provide real-time processing either. Feng [3] synthesised the face only from a single image, but this method needs to estimate head rotation parameters by using another reference image. Moreover, it hardly brings accurate results in 3D face model adaptation by only using three facial features. Strictly speaking, there is no fully automatic 3D face synthesis from a single image proposed to make such a real-time video application a reality. This Letter presents an automatic synthesis system, enabling 3D face modelling from an arbitrary 2D header-and-shoulder video frame without partial occlusion.
Evidence That Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor 11 (ARHGEF11) on 1q21 is a Type 2 Diabetes Susceptibility Gene in the Old Order Amish

Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 11 (ARHGEF11), located on chromosome 1q21, is involved in G protein signaling and is a pathway known to play a role in both insulin secretion and action. We genotyped 52 single nucleotide polymorphims (SNPs) in ARHGEF11 and compared the genotype frequencies of subjects with type 2 diabetes (n = 145) or type 2 diabetes/impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (n = 293) with those of control subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (n = 358). Thirty SNPs, spanning the entire gene, were significantly associated with type 2 diabetes or type 2 diabetes/IGT. The most significantly associated SNP was rs6427340 (intron 2), in which the less common allele was the risk allele (odds ratio [OR] 1.82 [95% CI 1.20–2.70], P = 0.005 for type 2 diabetes vs. NGT and 1.79 [1.27–2.50], P = 0.0008 for type 2 diabetes/IGT vs. NGT). In an expanded set of nondiabetic subjects (n = 754), most of the type 2 diabetes–and IGT-associated SNPs were significantly associated with glucose levels during an oral glucose tolerance test, with the same SNP (rs6427340) showing the most significant associations (P = 0.007). All type 2 diabetes–and IGT-associated SNPs were in high linkage disequilibrium and constitute a single 133-kb haplotype block. These results, coupled with similar findings in Pima Indians, suggest that sequence variation in ARHGEF11 may influence risk of type 2 diabetes.
Large-Scale Matrix Factorization with Missing Data under Additional Constraints

Matrix factorization in the presence of missing data is at the core of many computer vision problems such as structure from motion (SfM), non-rigid SfM and photometric stereo. We formulate the problem of matrix factorization with missing data as a low-rank semidefinite program (LRSDP) with the advantage that: 1) an efficient quasi-Newton implementation of the LRSDP enables us to solve large-scale factorization problems, and 2) additional constraints such as ortho-normality, required in orthographic SfM, can be directly incorporated in the new formulation. Our empirical evaluations suggest that, under the conditions of matrix completion theory, the proposed algorithm finds the optimal solution, and also requires fewer observations compared to the current state-of-the-art algorithms. We further demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in solving the affine SfM problem, non-rigid SfM and photometric stereo problems.
Nursing Assessment Tool for People With Liver Cirrhosis

The aim of this study was to describe the process of developing a nursing assessment tool for hospitalized adult patients with liver cirrhosis. A descriptive study was carried out in three stages. First, we conducted a literature review to develop a data collection tool on the basis of the Conceptual Model of Wanda Horta. Second, the data collection tool was assessed through an expert panel. Third, we conducted the pilot testing in hospitalized patients. Most of the comments offered by the panel members were accepted to improve the tool. The final version was in the form of a questionnaire with open-closed questions. The panel members concluded that the tool was useful for accurate nursing diagnosis. Horta's Conceptual Model assisted with the development of this data collection tool to help nurses identify accurate nursing diagnosis in hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis. We hope that the tool can be used by all nurses in clinical practice.
Ratings Estimation on Group Recommender Systems

Recommender systems have been developed to find personalized content for users. The personalization techniques used in these systems, usually focus on satisfaying the needs of individual users. Nevertheless, within some domains there is a need to generate recommendations to groups of users instead of individuals. In order to detect the interest of a group of users, several aggregation techniques have been developed. A disadvantage of these techniques is that they require a large amount of computations to estimate unknown ratings. In this article, we present an analysis of the impact of estimating ratings when an aggregation technique is used. For that purpose, we describe a hybrid approach to generate group recommendations based on group modeling. We also present the results obtained when evaluating the approach and two well-known aggregation techniques in the movie domain, and the variations of those results when the estimation process is not included.
Effect of hepatic injury on adjuvant arthritis.

Hench(1933) described theameliorating effect of hepatic disease onrheumatoid arthritis. Although jaundice wasthought tobethedetermining factor in these remissions, itwasnotpossible toreproduce the phenomenon byadministration ofbilirubin andbile salts (Hench, 1940), andasatisfactory explanation of itsmechanism hasneverbeenoffered (Hill and Holley, 1966). Thiswasinvestigated inthepresent study using theratadjuvant arthritis (AA)model. Withthehepatotoxin dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), itispossible toproduce anecrotizing hepatitis, which resolves rapidly, resulting inavirtually normal histological appearance inabout2weeks(Barnes and Magee, 1954). Since DMN isconverted bytheaction ofliver enzymes toanalkylating intermediate which, inturn, israpidly inactivated, itfunctions asaselective hepatotoxin (MageeandSwann,1969). Thusa brief butsevere episode ofliver injury maybesuperimposed onAA atvarious points during its induction andcourse.
Free Fatty Acid-induced β-Cell Defects Are Dependent on Uncoupling Protein 2 Expression*

Chronic exposure to elevated free fatty acids (lipotoxicity) induces uncoupling protein (UCP2) in the pancreatic β-cell, and therefore a causal link between UCP2 and β-cell defects associated with obesity may exist. Recently, we showed that lipid treatment in vivo and in vitro in UCP2(–/–) mice/islets does not result in any loss in β-cell glucose sensitivity. We have now assessed the mechanism of maintained β-cell function in UCP2(–/–) mice by exposing islets to 0.4 mm palmitate for 48 h. Palmitate treatment increased triglyceride concentrations in wild type (WT) but not UCP2(–/–) islets because of higher palmitate oxidation rates in the UCP2(–/–) islets. Dispersed β-cells from the palmitate-exposed WT islets had reduced glucose-stimulated hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential compared with both control WT and palmitate-exposed UCP2(–/–) β-cells. The glucose-stimulated increases in the ATP/ADP ratio and cytosolic Ca2+ are attenuated in palmitate-treated WT but not UCP2(–/–) β-cells. Exposure to palmitate reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in WT islets, whereas UCP2(–/–) islets had enhanced GSIS. Overexpression of recombinant UCP2 but not enhanced green fluorescent protein in β-cells resulted in a loss of glucose-stimulated hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential and GSIS similar to that seen in WT islets exposed to palmitate. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to increase the activity of UCP2. We showed that ROS levels were elevated in control UCP2(–/–) islets as compared with WT and UCP2(–/–) islets overexpressing UCP2 and that palmitate increased ROS in WT and UCP2(–/–) islets overexpressing UCP2 but not in UCP2(–/–) islets. Thus, UCP2(–/–) islets resisted the toxic effects of palmitate by maintaining glucose-dependent metabolism-secretion coupling. We propose that higher free fatty acid oxidation rates prevent accumulation of triglyceride in UCP2(–/–) islets, such accumulation being a phenomenon associated with lipotoxicity.
Complement and immunoglobulins stimulate superoxide production by human leukocytes independently of phagocytosis.

Human peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes, when exposed to appropriate stimuli, generate significant amounts of superoxide anion (O-.2), a highly reactive molecule which is possibly involved in bacterial killing. Since the subcellular localization and mechanism of activation of O-. 2 generating systems are unknown, we have investigated superoxide dismutase-inhibitable cytochrome c reduction (attributable to O-.2) by, and lysosomal enzyme release from, normal polymorphonuclear leukocytes and cells rendered incapable of ingesting particles by treatment with cytochalasin B. Neither phagocytosis nor lysosomal degranulation were prerequisites for enhanced O-. 2 generation. Cytochalasin B-treated cells exposed to (a) serum-treated zymosan, a C3b receptor stimulus; (b) heat aggregated human IgG, an Fc receptor stimulus; and (c) the complement component, C5a, generated enhanced amounts of O-. 2 in a time and concentration-dependent fashion. These cells also responded by releasing lysosomal enzymes, but there was no correlation between the ability of any immune reactant to provoke enzyme release and its ability to stimulate O-. 2 generation. The three stimuli also enhanced O-. 2 generation by normal (untreated) polymorphonuclear leukocytes, but only serum-treated zymosan and aggregated IgG were capable of provoking lysosomal enzyme release from normal cells. Untreated zymosan and native IgG neither stimulated O-. 2 production nor provoked lysomal enzyme release. Since enhanced O-. 2 production was stimulated by immune reactants in the absence of phagocytosis, the O-. 2 generating system is very likely associated with the external plasma membrane of the polymorphonuclear leukocyte. Leukocyte membrane receptors for complement and immunoglobulins may therefore not only serve in particle recognition but also may initiate biochemical events which accompany phagocytosis and killing.
Energy estimation tools for the Palm

Reducing the energy consumed in the use of mobile and wireless devices is becoming a major design challenge. While the problem obviously must be addressed with improved low-level technology, we have advocated also considering a higher-level view in which energy management becomes an explicit design goal of the software developer who can be more aware of the needs of applications. In support of this objective, new programming models, measurement tools, and simulation environments must be developed to provide the developer with feedback on the energy implications of various design decisions. In this paper, we describe an energy model and an execution-driven simulator incorporating this model for the PalmOS#8482; family of devices.
Development and preliminary validation of The Multidimensional Sexual Coercion Questionnaire (MSCQ)

Abstract The goal of this study is to present the development and validation of a sexual coercion assessment instrument for college students, the Multidimensional Sexual Coercion Questionnaire (MSCQ). An exploratory factor analysis for ordinal Likert data, followed by a confirmatory factor analysis in 762 college students, revealed seven factors. These pertained to commonly noted tactics such as pressure to have sex, exploitation, relational manipulation as well as less commonly measured tactics of humiliation and two clusters of tactics pertaining to forced compliance based on past coercion. Although several other measures exist, this measure was designed specifically for college students and therefore includes a wider array of tactics than generally considered. The measure also makes an attempt to include more nuanced and difficult-to-measure coercion strategies. The MSCQ is likely to be of interest to researchers and clinicians who wish to consider a more nuanced analysis of sexual coercion dynamics among college student, young adult and general populations.
Towards in-network data prediction in wireless sensor networks

Researches in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) have been focused on saving power in sensor nodes. An efficient strategy to achieve this goal is to reduce the amount of data sent through the network, In this work, we propose an efficient strategy that predicts data in WSNs aiming at reducing the data traffic in WSNs and thus maximizing the network lifetime. The proposed prediction strategy, denoted ADAGA-P, is based on a linear regression model, using data acquired from one or several sensors. ADAGA-P is executed in an in-network fashion by several sensors geographically distributed in a WSN. Furthermore, in ADAGA-P the regression model is adjusted dynamically, if any sensor in the WSN senses an "outlier". Experimental results are presented using real data. These results show that the proposed strategy reduces energy consumption in WSNs.
Nonparametric Comparison of Two Survival‐Time Distributions in the Presence of Dependent Censoring

Summary. When testing the null hypothesis that treatment arm‐specific survival‐time distributions are equal, the log‐rank test is asymptotically valid when the distribution of time to censoring is conditionally independent of randomized treatment group given survival time. We introduce a test of the null hypothesis for use when the distribution of time to censoring depends on treatment group and survival time. This test does not make any assumptions regarding independence of censoring time and survival time. Asymptotic validity of this test only requires a consistent estimate of the conditional probability that the survival event is observed given both treatment group and that the survival event occurred before the time of analysis. However, by not making unverifiable assumptions about the data‐generating mechanism, there exists a set of possible values of corresponding sample‐mean estimates of these probabilities that are consistent with the observed data. Over this subset of the unit square, the proposed test can be calculated and a rejection region identified. A decision on the null that considers uncertainty because of censoring that may depend on treatment group and survival time can then be directly made. We also present a generalized log‐rank test that enables us to provide conditions under which the ordinary log‐rank test is asymptotically valid. This generalized test can also be used for testing the null hypothesis when the distribution of censoring depends on treatment group and survival time. However, use of this test requires semiparametric modeling assumptions. A simulation study and an example using a recent AIDS clinical trial are provided.
Determination of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in human serum using programmable-temperature vaporization gas chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry.

The determination of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in blood from a non-occupational population is essential for the investigation of adverse health effects from these pollutants. In this study, a sensitive method based on programmable-temperature vaporization with large-volume injection coupled with gas chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry was developed to determine these pollutants in 1-2 mL of human serum samples. Various key parameters of programmable-temperature vaporization injector, including vent temperature, vent time, vent flow, transfer temperature and transfer time were optimized by factorial design. The accuracy and precision as well as applicability were assessed by determining polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in calibration standard solutions, standard reference materials and real human serum samples from non-occupational population. The method detection limits of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls were 1.5-9.0 and 0.005-0.02 ng/kg wet weight, respectively. By comparing with typically splitless injection, the application of programmable-temperature vaporization injector could effectively lead to higher detectable rate of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in 1-2 mL of human serum samples.
Incentive-Compatible Online Mechanisms for Resource Provisioning and Allocation in Clouds

Cloud providers provision their various resources such as CPUs, memory, and storage in the form of Virtual Machine (VM) instances which are then allocated to the users. We design online mechanisms for VM provisioning and allocation in clouds that consider several types of available resources. Our proposed online mechanisms make no assumptions about future demand of VMs, which is the case in real cloud settings. The proposed mechanisms are invoked as soon as a user places a request or some of the allocated resources are released and become available. The mechanisms allocate VM instances to selected users for the period they are requested for, and ensure that the users will continue using their VM instances for the entire requested period. In addition, the mechanisms determine the payment the users have to pay for using the allocated resources. We prove that the mechanisms are incentive-compatible, that is, they give incentives to the users to reveal their true valuations for their requested bundles of VM instances. We investigate the performance of our proposed mechanisms through extensive experiments.