Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uncovering influence through Social Network Analysis: the role of schools in Education for Sustainable Development

Abstract This paper examines the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Germany and explores the possibilities of Social Network Analysis (SNA) for uncovering influential actors in educational policy innovation processes. From the theoretical perspective, an actor’s influence is inferred from its relative position within issue-specific information flows and the trust placed in its capacities and expertise, instead of relying on an actor’s openly expressed role and policy preferences. Drawing on techniques from quantitative SNA enables to analyse the social interactions as well as the frequency and type of information exchange amongst actors in a particular issue area. Empirically, I focus my attention on the educational innovation of ESD, which has been initiated at the global level, but is mainly put into practice at the national or regional level. Data for the study come from mixed mode interviews with a standardised questionnaire. The interviews were conducted and analysed using egocentric and complete SNA. I find, amongst others results, that NGOs and governmental actors occupy significantly more central, prestigious and influential network positions than schools in the course of implementing ESD in Germany. Furthermore, school representatives exhibit few and weak relations, and mostly share links with other formal education actors.
Effects of Pro 12 Ala polymorphism in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ 2 gene on metabolic syndrome risk : A meta-analysis

Abbreviations: PPARγ2 (gamma2), peroxisome pro (gamma2); OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; Pro12A nine; Ala, alanine; TC, total cholesterol; LDL-C, low density high density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG, triglyceride; Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium; PRISMA, Preferred Reportin and Meta-analysis; MOOSE, Meta-analysis of Observati NCEP ATP III, National Cholesterol Education Program Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in A the study of Insulin Resistance; HOMA, Homeostasis M Health Organization; IDF, International Diabetes Federat hospital-based; NOS, Newcastle–Ottawa Scale; SNP, singl ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel. : +86 13808843648; fax: E-mail addresses: zhangruyi133@126.com (R. Zhang,) (J. Wang), yangrui91@163.com (R. Yang), 13751822925@ 62782333@163.com (R. Chen), luohaizhao@126.com (H. (D. Liu), dehongcaizj@163.com (D. Cai). 1 These authors contributed equally to this work. 2 Tel. :+86 015920941699; fax: +86 020 61643036. 3 Tel. : +86 015989271179; fax: +86 020 61643036. 4 Tel. : +86 013724004245; fax: +86 020 61643036. 5 Tel. : +86 13751822925; fax: +86 20 61643036. 6 Tel. : +86 13632101107; fax: +86 20 61643036. 7 Tel. : +86 18819419199; fax: +86 20 61643036. 8 Tel. : +86 13824403698; fax: +86 20 61643036.
Proteomic comparison of nasopharyngeal cancer cell lines C666-1 and NP69 identifies down-regulation of annexin II and beta2-tubulin for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

CONTEXT Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), common in southern China and North Africa, has a complex etiology involving interplay between viral, environmental, and hereditary factors and is almost constantly associated with the Epstein-Barr virus. Since the prognosis of locally advanced and metastatic diseases is poor, increased understanding of the pathogenesis of NPC would be important for discovering novel markers for patients' management. OBJECTIVES To compare the proteomic expression profile between an Epstein-Barr virus-associated NPC cell line (C666-1) and a normal NP cell line (NP69). The proteins with differential expression were analyzed in 40 undifferentiated NPC paraffin-embedded specimens. DESIGN Differentially expressed proteins discovered between the two cell lines were identified by mass spectrometry. After confirmation by immunocytochemical staining, their expression in patient samples was measured using 40 pairs of undifferentiated NPCs together with their adjacent normal epithelia. RESULTS Proteomic findings indicated that adenosine triphosphate synthase alpha chain was up-regulated, whereas annexin II, annexin V, beta(2)-tubulin, and profilin 1 were down-regulated. After confirming the results in agar-processed cell lines, annexin II and beta(2)-tubulin expression were found to be lower in tumor cells than in adjacent normal epithelial cells in 100% and 90% of the patients' specimens, respectively. Finally, annexin II down-regulation was positively associated with lymph node metastasis, suggesting that it may be a prognostic factor in NPC. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that annexin II and beta(2)-tubulin down-regulation is important in NPC formation and may represent potential targets for further investigations.
SOME NEW RESULTS IN NON-ADDITIVE MEASURE THEORY

We are concerned with a wide class of non-additive functions, namely quasi triangular functions, defined on a Boolean ring and taking values into a topological space, where no algebraic structure is required. The aim of the paper is twofold. First we prove that in some sense this class is equivalent to that one of finitely additive functions valued into a topological Abelian group. Secondly we show that a Vitali-Hahn-Saks theorem holds for exhaustive elements of it. AMS Subject Classification. 28A12, 28A33.
Similarities and Differences of Health-promoting Leadership and Transformational Leadership

Abstract The concept of health-promoting leadership focuses on the interaction between the organization and the individual by identifying components able to positively influence employees’ working conditions. In the present study, the effects of health-promoting leadership and transformational leadership on the employees’ recovery–stress balance are investigated. In an online study, 212 Slovenian workers were asked about their perceptions of their direct supervisors and their work-related stress and recovery. The results showed that both leadership styles have a significant effect on employees’ recovery at the workplace, which mediated the relationship between leadership and work-related stress.
Seeing Size and Feeling Weight: The Size-Weight Illusion in Natural and Virtual Reality

Objective: We experimentally tested the degree that the size-weight illusion depends on perceptual conditions allowing the observer to assume that both the visual and the kinesthetic stimuli of a weight seen and lifted emanate from the same object. We expected that the degree of the illusion depended on the “realism” provided by different kinds of virtual reality (VR) used when the weights are seen in virtual reality and at the same time lifted in natural reality. Background: Welch and Warren (1980) reported that an intermodal influence can be expected only if perceptual information of different modalities is compellingly related to only one object. Method: Objects of different sizes and weights were presented to 50 participants in natural reality or in four virtual realities: two immersive head-mounted display VRs (with or without head tracking) and two nonimmersive desktop VRs (with or without screening from input of the natural environment using a visor). The objects' heaviness was scaled using the magnitude estimation method. Results: Data show that the degree of the illusion is largest in immersive and lowest in nonimmersive virtual realities. Conclusion: The higher the degree of the illusion is, the more compelling the situation is perceived and the more the observed data are in correspondence with the data predicted for the illusion in natural reality. This shows that the kind of mediating technology used strongly influences the presence experienced. Application: The size-weight illusion's sensitivity to conditions that affect the sense of presence makes it a promising objective presence measure.
Cultures of the Central Highlands, New Guinea

A LTHOUGH FEW AREAS in New Guinea have occasioned more interest and aroused more speculation than the Central Highlands, the peoples and cultures of this region are still largely unknown. Since the war, several anthropologists have made intensive studies of a small number of groups in the easternmost valleys, and valuable information has been contributed from time to time by members of missionary orders tationed among the people farther to the west; but a great deal remains to be done before we are in a position to assess the significance and the relationships of the Highland cultures. Some groups have not yet been contacted by European government; others are still classed as uncontrolled, and the task of those who are contemplating field-work in the area is not an easy one. Even if they have a specific interest inmind, there is a dearth of factual information to guide them in the choice of a likely locale for their operations. It is obviously impossible at present to make any definite pronouncements on problems peculiar to the Highlands, or to divide them, at least with any finality, into their component culture areas; but there is need for a move in this direction, for a survey of the work already done and for an attempt to assess the principal similarities and differences of the numerous groups comprising the large population. In the past, little or no attempt has been made to obtain a systematic ethnographic coverage of New Guinea. Between the two world wars, the pattern of research was extremely haphazard. Individual workers were neither required nor encouraged to coSirdinate their activities, nor to regard them as fitting into any more comprehensive plan. The result was a number of studies which covered a vast geographical area but which were widely separated and largely unrelated. I do not, for that reason, question the value of these con-
Design of steerable concentric rings array using rotation properties and evolutionary optimization

This paper deals with the design of steerable concentric rings array for low side lobe level using evolutionary optimization. This design of steerable concentric rings arrays considers the optimization of the amplitude and phase excitations across the antenna elements by using genetic algorithms and particle swarm optimization. Some results obtained by simulation for a steerable concentric rings array are presented. The results shown in this paper present a good performance in the array factor response for the optimized designs with evolutionary optimization.
Translating of MATLAB/SIMULINLK model to synchronous dataflow graph for parallelism analysis and programming embedded multicore systems

Software implementation of compute-intensive applications in digital signal processing requires large computing power and has real-time performance requirements. Employing multicore architecture is usually the only means for solving the grand challenge of computational problems. Developing multicore-based systems requires a high degree of concurrency for optimizing performances of systems. For this purpose, this paper addresses the redesigning of MATLAB\Simulink models for efficient concurrent implementation using multiple processors. Our approach consists of translating a Simiüink model into discrete synchronous dataflow graph in order to treat them as concurrent system by exploiting task-level parallelism without alter the input-output behavior of the system.
Sexual Adventurism, High‐Risk Behavior, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus‐1 Seroconversion Among the Chicago MACS‐CCS Cohort, 1984 to 1992: A Case‐Control Study

Background and Objectives: To predict incident human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐1 seroconversions among a cohort of gay and bisexual men based on recalled sexual behavior, drug use, partnership status, and an index of sexual adventurism/risk‐seeking attitudes. Study Design: A nested case‐control design was used in a retrospective study spanning a 9‐year period. Results: Sexual adventurism was an important predictor of HIV‐1 infection. The partial risk ratio for our 100‐point adventurism scale indicated a marginal rate of increase in seroconversion risk of 4% (odds ratio = 1.04; 95% confidence interval = 1.02 to 1.06), with almost 79% of seroconverters scoring above the median on the index. As expected, partner status, drug use, and unprotected receptive anal (RA) intercourse were associated with seroconversion. However, multivariate results indicated that men using condoms consistently in RA sex were also at higher risk for infection (odds ratio = 2.68; 95% confidence interval = 1.04 to 6.95) than men who abstained from RA intercourse. Conclusions: Results are discussed with respect to their implications for HIV prevention intervention and research. Recommendations include the development of new approaches and the adaptation of existing intervention techniques that recognize and treat persons with strong risk‐taking predispositions.
Permeability characteristics of human oocytes in the presence of the cryoprotectant dimethylsulphoxide.

Equilibration of oocytes with cryoprotectants is a prerequisite of low temperature storage. However, cryoprotectant exposure may induce damage via osmotic stress. Knowledge of cell membrane permeability characteristics and their temperature dependence would facilitate the design of cryopreservation protocols in which osmotic stress is minimized and the incidence of intracellular freezing is reduced. To obtain such data, the volume change of donated human oocytes following exposure to cryoprotectant was measured at a variety of temperatures. After removal of cumulus cells, each oocyte was placed in a 5 microl droplet of phosphate-buffered medium. The oocyte was held in position by suction generated using a fine pipette and perfused with 1 ml 1.5 mol/l dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) at 30, 24 or 10 degrees C. The volume of the oocyte before, during and after perfusion was recorded by videomicroscopy. Oocyte volume was calculated from radius measurements and the Kedem-Katchalsky (K-K) passive coupled transport coefficients, namely L(p) (hydraulic permeability), P(DMSO) (permeability to DMSO) and sigma (reflection coefficient) were derived. The resulting coefficients were L(p) = 1. 65 +/- 0.15, 0.70 +/- 0.06 and 0.28 +/- 0.04 microm/min.atm; P(DMSO) = 0.79 +/- 0.10, 0.25 +/- 0.04 and 0.06 +/- 0.01 microm/s and sigma = 0.97 +/- 0.01, 0.94 +/- 0.03 and 0.96 +/- 0.01 at 30, 24 and 10 degrees C respectively. The activation energy for L(p) was 14.70 and for P(DMSO) was 20.82 kcal/mol. The permeability parameters of human oocytes are higher than those of murine oocytes, suggesting that they require a shorter period of exposure to DMSO with concomitantly reduced toxic effects.
A 26 W 97%-Efficiency Fast-Settling Dimmable LED Driver With Dual-nMOS-Sensing Based Glitch-Tolerant Synchronous Current Control for High-Brightness Solid-State Lighting Applications

This paper presents an integrated buck-type dimmable synchronous LED driver for high-brightness solid-state lighting applications. A glitch-tolerant synchronous current control (GT-SCC) scheme is proposed to regulate the average LED current. The GT-SCC enables fast settling time of the LED current upon start-up or PWM dimming condition, and provides reliable operation under high dV/dt slewing during switching transitions of the LED driver. The proposed LED driver consists of a high-speed low-power HV synchronous gate driver to enable on-chip synchronous rectification with a dual-nMOS power train under different input voltages for the conduction power loss reduction. Two on-chip senseFET peak and valley current sensors are also developed to offer low-power and reliable current sensing under high input voltages. Implemented in a 0.35 μm 50 V CMOS process, the proposed LED driver supports a wide input range from 5 V to 45 V, operates up to 4 MHz with a small-value inductor of 8.2 μH, handles a high PWM dimming frequency of 20 kHz with a wide duty-ratio range from 0.1 to 1, and delivers an average LED current of 700 mA for driving up to 12 series-connected HB-LEDs (with the maximum output power of 26 W). The proposed LED driver achieves a peak power efficiency of 97.2% and the current deviation ≤ ±3.3% of the average LED current under different conditions. The worst-case settling time achieves 3.2 μs that is at least 2.7 times improvement over state-of-the-art counterparts.
Low dose ketamine: a therapeutic and research tool to explore N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated plasticity in pain pathways

Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic that has been used in the clinic for many years. At low, subanaesthetic doses, it is a relatively selective and potent antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. It belongs to the class of uncompetitive antagonists and blocks the receptor by binding to a specific site within the NMDA receptor channel when it is open. Like other compounds of this class, ketamine can cause hallucinations or other untoward central effects which limit its use in the clinic. Nevertheless, because of the evidence on the importance of NMDA receptor-mediated pLasticity in chronic pain, low doses of ketamine have been explored in a wide range of pain conditions. The majority of studies with ketamine have shown efficacy; however, it has not been possible to separate safely the pain relief from the side effects of the drug. Hence, clinical use of ketamine as a pain treatment is very limited. Nevertheless, ketamine has served as a useful tool to provide a compelling rationale for developing other NMDA antagonists. Some of the new compounds of this class, particularly those acting at the NR2B subtype of the NMDA receptor, have shown promise in preclinical and clinical studies.
Enhancing email classification using data reduction and disagreement-based semi-supervised learning

Email classification is an important topic in literature attempting to correctly classify user emails and filter out spam emails. In this paper, we identify some challenges regarding this topic and propose an effective email classification model based on both data reduction and disagreement-based semi-supervised learning. In particular, the main objective of the data reduction is to select an optimum collection of email features and reduce the pointless data, while the objective of the disagreement-based approach is to enhance the accuracy of detecting spam emails by utilizing unlabeled data automatically. In the evaluation, we explore the performance of our proposed email classification model using two public datasets and a private dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed model can overall enhance the performance of email classification through improving detection accuracy and reducing false rates.
Experimental setup of continuous ultrasonic monitoring for corrosion assessment

The progression of corrosion can be studied using continuous ultrasonic monitoring. A test rig was developed to artificially accelerate corrosion, and to ultrasonically monitor it on a real sample [1]. However, the corroded samples mostly underwent uniform corrosion, with low amounts of roughness. Non-uniform corrosion, or high surface roughness, prevents reliable ultrasonic thickness estimates. To better evaluate the influence of high surface roughness on ultrasonic thickness measurements, the test rig is further developed to generate varieties of high surface roughness, and monitor them.
Pollution Havens and Factor Endowments: The Case of Consumption-Generated Pollution

The Pollution Haven Hypothesis (PHH) predicts that trade liberalization will cause dirty industry to migrate to poor countries, whereas the Factor Endowment Hypothesis (FEH) predicts the opposite. Empirical evidence has run slightly in favor of the FEH, but largely has suggested trade makes little difference to pollution trends. Antweiler et al. 2001[1] investigated production-generated ('smokestack') pollution and suggested an explanation that the PHH and the FEH work against each other, so the net result turns out to be rather small. This paper provides further evidence on this by investigating the effect of international trade on consumption-generated ('tailpipe') pollution. Our theoretical model predicts that the trade induced composition effect only depends on the stringency of environmental policy (the mechanism of the PHH) but not the capital-labor ratio (the mechanism of the FEH). Without an offsetting effect we expect pollution to rise under trade liberalization in low-income countries, counter to the case with smokestack pollution. We test this prediction using an international panel of data on carbon monoxide emissions, most of which are consumption-generated rather than production-generated. The results support our theoretical predictions: the trade elasticity of tailpipe pollution is negatively correlated with relative income. In addition, unlike the findings by Antweiler et al. that trade has no adverse effect on the environment, by estimating overall scale, technique and trade-induced composition effects, our results suggest that further openness will increase carbon monoxide emissions. Therefore, the trade liberalization may affect smokestack and tailpipe pollution differently.
3D depth measurement by phase shifting method using multiple projection and omni-directional cameras

We discuss surrounding depth measurement method using omni-directional cameras and projectors. In this paper, we use two omni-directional cameras to take images of patterns, and estimate distances from cameras to objects by the stereo method. As the pattern for projection to distiguish corresponding points between cameras, we employ the phase shifting method, because this method can obtain corresponding points with high resolution. We also discuss methods to correct coordinates of corresponding points caused by properties of omni-directional cameras. As results of experiments, we can show effectiveness of proposed method by measuring 3D depth.
Variations of the Greenberg unrelated question model - A field test

Abstract In recent years, many complex survey designs have been introduced whose mathematical properties are very nice but such surveys may be very difficult to implement. The primary purpose of this study is to examine how efficiently some recently introduced variations of the famous Greenberg Unrelated Question Binary RRT model can be executed in a field survey. The first variation involves multiple independent responses using the original binary unrelated question model of Greenberg. The second variation involves using the original model with inverse sampling stopping at the first “yes” response. The data was collected via a survey conducted by the authors on a sample of undergraduate students in the age group of 18+ years who were enrolled in Mathematics/Statistics classes at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC in September 2017. The binary response research question was “Have you ever been told by a healthcare professional that you had STD? ” and the unrelated binary question was “Were you born during the months of January-April? ”. Our results are in line with the mathematical properties of these models.