Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Weaving With Statecharts

Separation of Concerns separates requirements such as synchronization and scheduling from the core functionality of the software system. These requirements are often referred to as crosscutting concerns. The implementation of such requirements is scattered throughout the software system, which results in the code-tangling problem Aspect Oriented Programming provides the user with the ability to modularize, and weave the representation of crosscutting concerns in order to maximize code reusability and solves the code-tangling problem. Using the Unified Modeling Language (UML) to model and inter-weave these crosscutting concerns is an area thast is getting more attension from researchers, and is the theme of this paper. In this paper we present a formal design methodology to model the system’s concerns based on aspect-orientation. We show how to model and interweave the different sub-models that represent different concerns using UML’s Statecharts and Class Diagrams. In Addition our initial study shows that our approach demonstrates the benefits for aspect-oriented modeling, like maintainability, reusability and trace-ability at the design phase as well as at the implementation phase of the development life cycle.
Attentional Processing of Visual Sexual Stimuli and the Concordia Sexual Image Dataset

Historically, research concerning human sexual response and sexual excitement has focused largely on examining subjective arousal or the physiological end points of arousal (e.g., erection or genital vasocongestion: Brotto & Gorzalka, 2002; Laan, van Driel, & van Lunsen, 2008; Laan, van Lunsen, & Everaerd, 2001). However, some researchers have begun to delineate the cognitive mechanisms implicated in human sexual response, and how these mechanisms are influenced by individual differences (Spiering & Everaerd, 2007; Spiering, Everaerd, & Laan, 2004). Accordingly, the studies presented within this dissertation were designed to further elucidate the cognitive contributions of attention and stimulus evaluation on the processing of Visual Sexual Stimuli (VSS), while also expanding the availability of VSS by creating an erotic image database. The modified Stroop paradigm (both word and pictorial) was used to examine attentional responses to VSS. Findings from these studies highlight the importance of attentional factors in the assessment of VSS, and how these factors are influenced by participants’ gender and self-reported sexual desire. Further, results from the pictorial Stroop study suggest that men’s and women’s attentional systems may have adapted to be attuned differently in the processing of VSS. Heterosexual males automatic and controlled attentional biases were category specific (i.e., consistent with their sexual preference), whereas women’s were nonspecific. The general lack of adequately validated modern VSS led to the development of the Concordia Sexual Image Dataset (CSID), a comprehensive database of erotic images that includes heterosexual, lesbian and homosexual content, with norms for valence and arousal by male and female heterosexual participants. These ratings revealed that the evaluation of erotic content was strongly influenced by the gender of the evaluator. Heterosexual men’s response patterns for ratings were fairly consistent across content categories, while women displayed substantial variability in their ratings within and between content categories. These findings suggest that researchers should take into account both the content and the emotional impact of the image when selecting relevant VSS. Collectively, the results presented in this thesis have implications for the objective measurement of sexual response, the conceptualization of cognitive mechanisms implicated in the processing of VSS, and for the identification of cognitive factors associated with individual differences in sexual functioning.
Social Networks and Social Information Filtering on Digg

The new social media sites — blogs, wikis, Flickr and Digg, among others — underscore the transformation of the Web to a participatory medium in which users are actively creating, evaluating and distributing information. Digg is a social news aggregator which allows users to submit links to, vote on and discuss news stories. Each day Digg selects a handful of stories to feature on its front page. Rather than rely on the opinion of a few editors, Digg aggregates opinions of thousands of its users to decide which stories to promote to the front page. Digg users can designate other users as “friends” and easily track friends’ activities: what new stories they submitted, commented on or read. The friends interface acts as a social filtering system, recommending to user stories his or her friends liked or found interesting. By tracking the votes received by newly submitted stories over time, we showed that social filtering is an effective information filtering approach. Specifically, we showed that (a) users tend to like stories submitted by friends and (b) users tend to like stories their friends read and liked. Social filtering is a promising new technology that can be used to personalize and tailor information to individual users: for example, through personal front pages.
Exploring the effect of VoIP tools as a foreign language instruction on learners' English speaking errors

This study aims to compare the effects of two different environments, i.e. Skype and face-to-face (F2F), on learners' speaking performance by assessing the frequency of errors (e.g. verb tense, verb form and sentence structure) occurring in the learners' oral productions during role playing. Fifty-two young adult English-as-a-foreign language (EFL) learners recruited from a business college were randomly and equally assigned into the experimental or the control group. Oral interviews were used as the pretest and post-test in this study. The participants were required to complete the given tasks in pairs after the instruction. The experimental group undertook the tasks via Skype and the control group performed the tasks in an F2F environment. Verbatim data from the students' recorded utterances in two environments were analysed. The results indicated that the experimental group showed more improvement than the control group in their oral performance.
Predictors of increased body weight and waist circumference for middle-aged adults

Abstract Objective To identify predictors of increased adiposity for different measures of adiposity. Design Prospective cohort study, the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS), with data at baseline (1990–1994) and wave 2 (2003–2007). Setting Participants recruited from the community. Subjects Australian-born participants (n 5879) aged 40 to 69 years who were not current smokers and who were free from common chronic diseases at recruitment. At baseline and at wave 2, weight and waist circumference were measured; while demographic and lifestyle variables were obtained at baseline via structured interviews. Results Participants who reported any recreational physical activity at baseline had lower weight and smaller waist circumference at wave 2 than those who did not, particularly for younger participants and for vigorous physical activity. Walking for leisure was not associated, and greater physical activity at work was associated, with greater adiposity measures at wave 2. A diet low in carbohydrates and fibre, but high in fat and protein, predicted greater weight and waist circumference at wave 2. Participants were less likely to have elevated weight or waist circumference at wave 2 if they consumed low to moderate amounts of alcohol. Conclusions Our findings indicate that promoting vigorous physical activity, encouraging a diet high in carbohydrate and fibre but low in fat and protein, and limiting alcohol intake could be promising approaches for preventing obesity in middle-aged adults. Similar interventions should successfully address the management of both weight and waist circumference, as they were predicted by similar factors.
Seeking Optimal Search Strategy and Result Representation in BoW

One of the biggest concerns of modern information retrieval systems is reducing the user effort required for manual traversal and filtering of long ma tching document lists. In this paper we propose an alternative approach for compact and concise r epr sentation of search results, which we implemented in the BoW on-line bibliographical rep ository. The BoW repository is based on an hierarchical concept index to which entries ar linked. The key idea is that searching in the hierarchical repository should take advan tage of the repository structure and return matching topics from the hierarchy, rather than just a long list of entries. Likewise, when new entries are inserted, a search for relevant topics t o which they should be linked is required. Therefore, a similar hierarchical scheme for que ry-topic matching can be applied for both tasks. However, our experiments show that differen t query types used for these tasks are best treated by different topic ranking functions. For e xample, keyword search which is typically based on short (1-3 word) queries requires a wei ght-based (rather than Boolean) ranking approach. The underlying rationale of weight-base d ranking is that for a truly relevant topic all (or almost all) the query terms should appear in its vector representation and with approximately even high weights. Applying this reasoning t o the topic ranking method is shown to significantly increase the precision and the F1 (by o ver 30%) for short keyword queries compared to the baseline Boolean ranking metric.
The group evolution multiwavelength study: the near‐infrared luminosity function of nearby galaxy groups

We present J- and K-band luminosity functions (LFs) for the group evolution multiwavelength study (GEMS) sample of 60 nearby groups of galaxies, with photometry from the Two-Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). We find that, as seen in B- and R-band photometry of a subsample of these groups in our earlier work, the LFs of the X-ray dim groups (L x < 10 41.7 erg s -1 ) show a depletion of galaxies of intermediate luminosity around M K = -23, within a radius of 0.3 R 500 from the centres of these groups. This feature is seen neither in the X-ray brighter groups nor in either kind of group when the LFs are determined all the way out to R 500 . We conclude that an enhanced level of star formation is not responsible for this feature. From the faint end of the LFs, we find support for the underabundance of low surface brightness dwarfs in the 2MASS. We find that for all kinds of groups, the modelling of the LF, with universal forms for the LFs of galaxies of different morphological types, fails when simultaneously required to fit the B- and K-band LFs. This means that the dip-like features seen in LFs are not merely due to the varying proportions of galaxies of different morphological types among the X-ray dim and bright groups. We argue that this supports our hypothesis that this feature is due to the enhanced merging of intermediate-mass galaxies in the dynamically sluggish environment of X-ray dim groups.
STS Challenges for Accomplishing Educational Reform: The Need for Solving Learning Problems

STS represents a significant reform effort in science/technology education in grades kindergarten through the undergraduate collegiate years. It focuses on use of constructivism as a way of learning and a broader view of science, and as a way of assessing learning for real understanding. Basic to STS is teaching and the assessment of learning in multiple domains, namely, concepts, processes, the application of both to new situations, the nature and history of science, creativity skills, and attitude. When education occurs in STS classrooms, students grow significantly in all domains and more so than in traditional classrooms.
An accurate magnetic field analysis for estimating motor characteristics taking account of stress distribution in the magnetic core

This paper discusses an accurate magnetic field analysis that addresses stress distribution in the magnetic core by using the finite-element method (FEM) to estimate motor characteristics. This analysis method consists of the following steps: 1) measurement of the magnetic characteristics of electrical steel sheets in a state where stress is added; 2) calculation of deformation and stress distribution using structural analysis; 3) preprocessing of the magnetic field analysis, which generates the FEM mesh taking account of the deformation by stress and the changes of the magnetic properties in each of the core elements corresponding to stress distribution; and 4) magnetic field analysis using the data measured in step 1) and the FEM mesh generated in step 3). As an example, a result of a permanent magnet motor's cogging torque calculation is shown, focusing on stress in the stator core resulting from shrink fitting into the frame. As a result, the cogging torque waveform was shown to differ depending on the shape and the materials of the frame.
Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) Allelic Variants Relate to Shifts in Faecal Microbiota of Cystic Fibrosis Patients

Introduction In this study we investigated the effects of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene variants on the composition of faecal microbiota, in patients affected by Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CFTR mutations (F508del is the most common) lead to a decreased secretion of chloride/water, and to mucus sticky secretions, in pancreas, respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. Intestinal manifestations are underestimated in CF, leading to ileum meconium at birth, or small bowel bacterial overgrowth in adult age. Methods Thirty-six CF patients, fasting and under no-antibiotic treatment, were CFTR genotyped on both alleles. Faecal samples were subjected to molecular microbial profiling through Temporal Temperature Gradient Electrophoresis and species-specific PCR. Ecological parameters and multivariate algorithms were employed to find out if CFTR variants could be related to the microbiota structure. Results Patients were classified by two different criteria: 1) presence/absence of F508del mutation; 2) disease severity in heterozygous and homozygous F508del patients. We found that homozygous-F508del and severe CF patients exhibited an enhanced dysbiotic faecal microbiota composition, even within the CF cohort itself, with higher biodiversity and evenness. We also found, by species-specific PCR, that potentially harmful species (Escherichia coli and Eubacterium biforme) were abundant in homozygous-F508del and severe CF patients, while beneficial species (Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Bifidobacterium spp., and Eubacterium limosum) were reduced. Conclusions This is the first report that establishes a link among CFTR variants and shifts in faecal microbiota, opening the way to studies that perceive CF as a ‘systemic disease’, linking the lung and the gut in a joined axis.
Physical and Verbal Aggressive Behaviour Pattern Among School Children in Urban Area of North Karnataka : A Cross Sectional Study

Background: There is growing concern with student conflict, aggression, and violence in the schools, and anger is an important contributing factor which can damage school climate. Aims and Objectives: To elucidate the differentials of aggressive behaviour among high school students and to recognize the influence of age and sex on aggressive behaviour. Material and Methods: The present cross sectional study was conducted in one of the high school in urban area, which included all 347 students (199 boys and 148 girls) of classes VII to X. The students were asked to answer, by recall method, a self-administered, pre tested, structured questionnaire indicating the types of aggressive behaviour by them in the previous month and to assess themselves with reference to the statements regarding physical / verbal aggression, after taking their consent. Results: Majority of the students (58.8%) were from nuclear families and 26.2% students experienced aggressive behaviour in the family. Role models for aggressive behaviour were parents (42.3%) and TV / Cinema actors (39.0%). Overall, 241 (69.5%) children were physically aggressive in the previous month. Physical active direct and indirect aggression was significantly more common among boys than among girls. 248 (71.5%) children were verbally aggressive in the previous month. Physical aggression increased substantially from VII standard (56.9%) to X standard (84.6%). Conclusion: Aggressive behaviour was common among both boys and girls, with increasing trend of physical aggression from VII standard to X standard. Classroom management, counseling and life skills education strategies are recommended for channelizing the aggressive behaviour among school children.
An Optimal Randomized Broadcasting Algorithm in Radio Networks with Collision Detection

We present a randomized distributed algorithm that in radio networks with collision detection broadcasts a single message in $O(D+\log^2 n)$ time slots, with high probability. In view of the lower-bound $\Omega(D+\log^2 n)$, our algorithm is optimal in the considered model answering the decades-old question of Alon, Bar-Noy, Linial and Peleg [JCSS 1991].
Matching to share risk

We consider a matching model in which individuals belonging to two populations (\textquotedblleft males\textquotedblright\ and \textquotedblleft females\textquotedblright ) can match to share their exogenous income risk. Within each population, individuals can be ranked by risk aversion in the Arrow-Pratt sense. The model permits non transferable utility, a context in which few general results have previously been derived. We show that in this framework a stable matching always exists, it is generically unique, and it is negatively assortative: for any two matched couples, the more risk averse male is matched with the less risk averse female.
Structure Based Discovery of Small Molecules to Regulate the Activity of Human Insulin Degrading Enzyme

Background Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) is an allosteric Zn+2 metalloprotease involved in the degradation of many peptides including amyloid-β, and insulin that play key roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), respectively. Therefore, the use of therapeutic agents that regulate the activity of IDE would be a viable approach towards generating pharmaceutical treatments for these diseases. Crystal structure of IDE revealed that N-terminal has an exosite which is ∼30 Å away from the catalytic region and serves as a regulation site by orientation of the substrates of IDE to the catalytic site. It is possible to find small molecules that bind to the exosite of IDE and enhance its proteolytic activity towards different substrates. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we applied structure based drug design method combined with experimental methods to discover four novel molecules that enhance the activity of human IDE. The novel compounds, designated as D3, D4, D6, and D10 enhanced IDE mediated proteolysis of substrate V, insulin and amyloid-β, while enhanced degradation profiles were obtained towards substrate V and insulin in the presence of D10 only. Conclusion/Significance This paper describes the first examples of a computer-aided discovery of IDE regulators, showing that in vitro and in vivo activation of this important enzyme with small molecules is possible.
Whole Proteome Analyses on Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum Show a Modulation of the Cellulolysis Machinery in Response to Cellulosic Materials with Subtle Differences in Chemical and Structural Properties

Lignocellulosic materials from municipal solid waste emerge as attractive resources for anaerobic digestion biorefinery. To increase the knowledge required for establishing efficient bioprocesses, dynamics of batch fermentation by the cellulolytic bacterium Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum were compared using three cellulosic materials, paper handkerchief, cotton discs and Whatman filter paper. Fermentation of paper handkerchief occurred the fastest and resulted in a specific metabolic profile: it resulted in the lowest acetate-to-lactate and acetate-to-ethanol ratios. By shotgun proteomic analyses of paper handkerchief and Whatman paper incubations, 151 proteins with significantly different levels were detected, including 20 of the 65 cellulosomal components, 8 non-cellulosomal CAZymes and 44 distinct extracytoplasmic proteins. Consistent with the specific metabolic profile observed, many enzymes from the central carbon catabolic pathways had higher levels in paper handkerchief incubations. Among the quantified CAZymes and cellulosomal components, 10 endoglucanases mainly from the GH9 families and 7 other cellulosomal subunits had lower levels in paper handkerchief incubations. An in-depth characterization of the materials used showed that the lower levels of endoglucanases in paper handkerchief incubations could hypothetically result from its lower crystallinity index (50%) and degree of polymerization (970). By contrast, the higher hemicellulose rate in paper handkerchief (13.87%) did not result in the enhanced expression of enzyme with xylanase as primary activity, including enzymes from the “xyl-doc” cluster. It suggests the absence, in this material, of molecular structures that specifically lead to xylanase induction. The integrated approach developed in this work shows that subtle differences among cellulosic materials regarding chemical and structural characteristics have significant effects on expressed bacterial functions, in particular the cellulolysis machinery, resulting in different metabolic patterns and degradation dynamics.
Coccinia intermedia – a new Cucurbitaceae species from West Africa

Abstract Nuclear and plastid sequences from two individuals of a suspected new species of Coccinia from West Africa were added to an available molecular phylogeny for the remaining 27 species of the genus. Phylogenetic analyses of these data indicate the new species' monophyletic status and closest relatives. Based on four fertile collections, we here describe and illustrate Coccinia intermedia Holstein. We also provide a key to the Coccinia species of West Africa and map their distributions.
Strong field limit analysis of gravitational retro lensing

We present a complete treatment in the strong field limit of gravitational retrolensing by a static spherically symmetric compact object having a photon sphere. The results are compared with those corresponding to ordinary lensing in similar strong field situations. As examples of the application of the formalism, a supermassive black hole at the Galactic center and a stellar mass black hole in the Galactic halo are studied as retrolenses, in both cases using Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordstr\"om geometries.