Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
.. In MY situation, I would dislike THAAA T!" Role Playas Assessment Method for Tools Supporting Participatory Planning

The transitory nature of some participatory planning settings means that traditional PD methods are not feasible during early stages of technology development. Role-play represents a promising technique for addressing this situation. We present our experiences in using role playas a participatory assessment method on two variants of a system for participatory planning. We summarize system related assessment results and discuss limitations and potential improvements of this method.
SN-38 loading capacity of hydrophobic polymer blend nanoparticles: formulation, optimization and efficacy evaluation

Abstract One of the most important problems in nanoencapsulation of extremely hydrophobic drugs is poor drug loading due to rapid drug crystallization outside the polymer core. The effort to use nanoprecipitation, as a simple one-step procedure with good reproducibility and FDA approved polymers like Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and Polycaprolactone (PCL), will only potentiate this issue. Considering that drug loading is one of the key defining characteristics, in this study we attempted to examine whether the nanoparticle (NP) core composed of two hydrophobic polymers will provide increased drug loading for 7-Ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin (SN-38), relative to NPs prepared using individual polymers. D-optimal design was applied to optimize PLGA/PCL ratio in the polymer blend and the mode of addition of the amphiphilic copolymer Lutrol®F127 in order to maximize SN-38 loading and obtain NPs with acceptable size for passive tumor targeting. Drug/polymer and polymer/polymer interaction analysis pointed to high degree of compatibility and miscibility among both hydrophobic polymers, providing core configuration with higher drug loading capacity. Toxicity studies outlined the biocompatibility of the blank NPs. Increased in vitro efficacy of drug-loaded NPs compared to the free drug was confirmed by growth inhibition studies using SW-480 cell line. Additionally, the optimized NP formulation showed very promising blood circulation profile with elimination half-time of 7.4 h.
An Ensemble Classifier for Predicting Eukaryotic Protein Subcellular Locations

Eukaryotic protein subcellular localization is an important and challenging problem in cell biology and proteomics. To tackle this problem, eukaryotic protein sequences were represented as amino acid composition and gapped pair amino acid composition, with and without 9-letter exchange. Based on such a representation frame, an ensemble classifier was developed by fusing ten basic individual K-local Hyperplane Distance Nearest Neighbor (HKNN) classifiers through majority voting scheme. Experimental results obtained through 5-fold cross-validation test on the same protein dataset, which contains eukaryotic proteins among 12 locations, showed a significant improvement in prediction accuracy over existing methods.
Quantum and Ecosystem Entropies

Abstract: Ecosystems and quantum gases share a number of superﬁcial similarities includingenormous numbers of interacting elements and the fundamental role of energy in such interac-tions. A theory for the synthesis of data and prediction of new phenomena is well establishedin quantum statistical mechanics. The premise of this paper is that the reason a comparableunifying theory has not emerged in ecology is that a proper role for entropy has yet to beassigned. To this end, a phase space entropy model of ecosystems is developed. Speciﬁcationof an ecosystem phase space cell size based on microbial mass, length, and time scales givesan ecosystem uncertainty parameter only about three orders of magnitude larger than Planck’sconstant. Ecosystem equilibria is speciﬁed by conservation of biomass and total metabolicenergy, along with the principle of maximum entropy at equilibria. Both Bose - Einstein andFermi - Dirac equilibrium conditions arise in ecosystems applications. The paper concludeswith a discussion of some broader aspects of an ecosystem phase space.Keywords: Entropy, ecology, quantum statistical mechanics.1. IntroductionEcosystems and quantum gases share a number of elementary characteristics. Both have an enormousnumber of elements. A mole of gas at standard conditions contains more than 10
Improving Co-Cluster Quality with Application to Product Recommendations

Businesses store an ever increasing amount of historical customer sales data. Given the availability of such information, it is advantageous to analyze past sales, both for revealing dominant buying patterns, and for providing more targeted recommendations to clients. In this context, co-clustering has proved to be an important data-modeling primitive for revealing latent connections between two sets of entities, such as customers and products. In this work, we introduce a new algorithm for co-clustering that is both scalable and highly resilient to noise. Our method is inspired by k-Means and agglomerative hierarchical clustering approaches: (i) first it searches for elementary co-clustering structures and (ii) then combines them into a better, more compact, solution. The algorithm is flexible as it does not require an explicit number of co-clusters as input, and is directly applicable on large data graphs. We apply our methodology on real sales data to analyze and visualize the connections between clients and products. We showcase a real deployment of the system, and how it has been used for driving a recommendation engine. Finally, we demonstrate that the new methodology can discover co-clusters of better quality and relevance than state-of-the-art co-clustering techniques.
Bringing the ZPD into the equation: Capturing L2 development during Computerized Dynamic Assessment (C-DA)

Dynamic Assessment (DA) derives from Vygotsky’s (1987) insight that the use of mediation, attuned to learner needs, enables learners to perform beyond their current level of functioning, thereby providing insights into emerging capabilities. The instructional quality of mediation means that this process simultaneously creates possibilities for development, even over the course of a single session, a phenomenon referred to as ‘microgenesis’ (Wertsch, 1985). An important feature of DA is transfer, or transcendence: the process of tracking learner development as it unfolds not only with regard to control of tasks included in an assessment but also more complex and difficult tasks that build on those included in the original instrument (Campione, Brown, Ferrera, & Bryant, 1984; Feuerstein, Rand, & Hoffman, 1979; Poehner, 2007). The present study reports on the use of DA principles in tests of second language (L2) listening and reading comprehension delivered through an online format. The tests, which incorporate mediation, include transfer items to determine the extent to which learner development is supported during the test. This process generates three scores: actual (to capture unmediated performance); mediated (reflecting responsiveness to assistance provided on each test item); and a learning potential score (based on gain between actual and mediated performance) that indicates how much investment in future instructional activity is likely required for development to move forward.
Applying Adaptive Real-time Middleware to Address Grand Challenges of COTS-based Mission-Critical Real-Time Systems

Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) middleware addresses many design forces for developing mission-critical distributed systems, including reducing development cost and cycle-time. However, meeting additional requirements for real-time quality of service (QoS) in these systems is currently beyond the state-of-the-art in available COTS middleware solutions. In this paper, we discuss key research challenges associated with determining the policies, mechanisms, and patterns required to create a new generation of QoS-enabled COTS middleware for real-time mission-critical systems.
Assessment of Management Effectiveness for the Marine Protected Areas at the 'rosario and San Bernardo Corals National Park' (cartagena): towards an Adaptive Management of Colombia's First Coral Reef Protected Area. Noaa-coral Grants-project No. Na05no54631013 Final Report

1. GENERAL CONSIDERATION Coral reefs are one the most diverse and complex ecosystems in the earth surface, they also provide vital economic services for millions of people in coastal communities, especially in developing countries. Despite comprising less than 0.5% of the ocean floor, coral reefs harbors almost a third of all marine fish species (Samoilys 2007). However, on a global scale, coral reefs face diverse anthropogenic threats including overexploitation of resources, habitat destruction, pollution and climate change (Wilkinson 2004). This situation makes necessary to take actions to preserve marine habitats and resources of the world, under this circumstances the Sustainable Development Summit aims to establish, by 2012, an effectively managed, representative, global system of marine protected areas (MPAs) covering 10% of all marine ecological regions, comprising both multiple use areas and strictly protected areas (Wells 2007). The marine protected area concept (MPA) arises to protect species, marine habitats, biodiversity conservation, fisheries restoration, tourist activities management and reduction of conflicts among resource users, among others (Pomeroy, 2004). There are several scientific papers showing benefits of MPAs accomplishment improvements in fish assemblage (sizes, diversity and abundance on commercial specie Halpern 2003), enhancing production of eggs and larvae inside reserves due to increase biomass of spawners (Castilla & Bustamante 1989; Jennings 2000) and by improving fisheries yields outside reserves due to the spillover of adults emigrating from the protected area (Sluka et al 1997; Branch & Odendaal 2003). In developing countries it is very important to search the relationship between conservation actions and human welfare. One way in which marine protected areas, coral reef health, and human welfare in fishing communities might be linked is that by protecting the coral reef, coral cover and fish abundance inside the MPA can be maintained or increased, which leads to an increase in fish abundance outside the MPA and thus higher catches for fishermen (Gjertsen 2004). Consequently MPAs are used both for habitat protection and as a fishery management tool (Campbell, 2006). Larger catches can result in increase fish consumption in fishing families and higher incomes from fish that are sold. An increasing need exists for the evaluation and understanding of the effectiveness of marine protected areas (IUCN's) World Commission on Protected Areas—Marine and the World Wide Fund for Nature jointly initiated the MPA Management Effectiveness Initiative (MEI), an international project designed to create a methodology for planning and conducting performance evaluations of MPA management effectiveness …
Religion and the Racist Right: The Origins of the Christian Identity Movement

According to Michael Barkun, many white supremacist groups of the radical right are deeply committed to the distinctive but little-recognized religious position known as Christian Identity. In "Religion and the Racist Right" (1994), Barkun provided an exploration of the ideological and organizational development of the Christian Identity movement. In this revised edition, he traces the role of Christian Identity figures in the dramatic events of the first half of the 1990s, from the Oklahoma City bombing to the rise of the militia movement to the Freemen standoff in Montana. It also explores the government's evolving response to these challenges to the legitimacy of the state.
Analytical Framework for Optimizing Weighted Average Download Time in Peer-to-Peer Networks

This paper proposes an analytical framework for peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and introduces schemes for building P2P networks to approach the minimum weighted average download time (WADT). In the considered P2P framework, the server, which has the information of all the download bandwidths and upload bandwidths of the peers, minimizes the weighted average download time by determining the optimal transmission rate from the server to the peers and from the peers to the other peers. This paper first defines the static P2P network, the hierarchical P2P network and the strictly hierarchical P2P network. Any static P2P network can be decomposed into an equivalent network of sub-peers that is strictly hierarchical. This paper shows that convex optimization can minimize the WADT for P2P networks by equivalently minimizing the WADT for strictly hierarchical networks of sub-peers. This paper then gives an upper bound for minimizing WADT by constructing a hierarchical P2P network, and lower bound by weakening the constraints of the convex problem. Both the upper bound and the lower bound are very tight. This paper also provides several suboptimal solutions for minimizing the WADT for strictly hierarchical networks, in which peer selection algorithms and chunk selection algorithm can be locally designed.
Focusing Transgene Expression in Drosophila by Coupling Gal4 With a Novel Split-LexA Expression System

Here we report the development of a ternary version of the LexA::VP16/LexAop system in which the DNA-binding and trans-activating moieties are independently targeted using distinct promoters to achieve highly restricted, intersectional expression patterns. This Split LexA system can be concatenated with the Gal4/upstream activating sequence system to refine the expression patterns of existing Gal4 lines with minimal genetic manipulations.
Monte Carlo N Particle code - Dose distribution of clinical electron beams in inhomogeneous phantoms

Electron dose distributions calculated using the currently available analytical methods can be associated with large uncertainties. The Monte Carlo method is the most accurate method for dose calculation in electron beams. Most of the clinical electron beam simulation studies have been performed using non- MCNP [Monte Carlo N Particle] codes. Given the differences between Monte Carlo codes, this work aims to evaluate the accuracy of MCNP4C-simulated electron dose distributions in a homogenous phantom and around inhomogeneities. Different types of phantoms ranging in complexity were used; namely, a homogeneous water phantom and phantoms made of polymethyl methacrylate slabs containing different-sized, low- and high-density inserts of heterogeneous materials. Electron beams with 8 and 15 MeV nominal energy generated by an Elekta Synergy linear accelerator were investigated. Measurements were performed for a 10 cm × 10 cm applicator at a source-to-surface distance of 100 cm. Individual parts of the beam-defining system were introduced into the simulation one at a time in order to show their effect on depth doses. In contrast to the first scattering foil, the secondary scattering foil, X and Y jaws and applicator provide up to 5% of the dose. A 2%/2 mm agreement between MCNP and measurements was found in the homogenous phantom, and in the presence of heterogeneities in the range of 1-3%, being generally within 2% of the measurements for both energies in a "complex" phantom. A full-component simulation is necessary in order to obtain a realistic model of the beam. The MCNP4C results agree well with the measured electron dose distributions.
Multiple Mittag–Leffler Stability of Fractional-Order Recurrent Neural Networks

In this paper, coexistence and stability of multiple equilibrium points of fractional-order recurrent neural networks are addressed. Several sufficient conditions are derived for ascertaining the existence of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ {\prod _{i=1}^{n}(2K_{i}+1)}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> equilibrium points (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ {K_{i}\geq 0}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and the local Mittag–Leffler stability of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ {\prod _{i=1}^{n}(K_{i}+1)}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> equilibrium points of them by using the geometrical properties of activation functions and algebraic properties of nonsingular <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-matrix. In contrast with many existing results, the derived results cover both mono-stability and multistability, and the activation functions herein could be nonmonotonic and nonlinear in any open interval. In addition, three numerical examples are elaborated to substantiate the efficacy and characteristics of the theoretical results.
Do we need more than just powerful blood pressure reductions? New paradigms in end-organ protection

Antihypertensive therapy can lower the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Yet, partly because of inadequate dosing, wrong pharmacological choices, and poor patient adherence, hypertension control remains suboptimal in the majority of hypertensive patients. Achieving greater blood pressure control requires a multifaceted approach that raises awareness of hypertension, uses effective therapies, and improves adherence. Particular classes of antihypertensive therapy have beneficial actions beyond blood pressure and studies have evaluated differences in cardiovascular protection among classes. The LIFE and HOPE studies showed between-class differences that may be due to effects other than blood pressure-lowering. In the ONTARGET study, telmisartan and ramipril provided similar cardiovascular protection but adherence was higher with telmisartan, which was better tolerated. This difference in compliance is likely to be important for long-term therapy. The selection of an agent for cardiovascular protection should depend on an appreciation of its composite properties, including any beneficial effects on tolerability and increased patient adherence, as these are likely to be advantageous for the long-term management of hypertension. This review examines the evidence that the effects beyond blood pressure provided by some antihypertensive agents can also lower the risk of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and renal events in patients with hypertension.
Seeking Social Support: An Observational Instrumental and Illustrative Analysis

l“Social support” refers to the informal provision of emotional, informational and practical help to those in distress. Its importance as a buffer against stressors is gaining in acceptance, but most measures of social support are based on self-report. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to develop an observational tool with which to record objectively the duration, subject matter and form of client utterances, relating these to corresponding helper responses. This yields their respective speech profiles, together with an analysis of the contingencies. The potential value of this approach is illustrated in terms of clients attending hairdressing salons in a psychiatric hospital (N = 20) and in the local town (N = 19). Clear and predicted differences in the support elicitation skills of these two groups provided evidence of the instrument's validity, and good inter-rater reliability was also demonstrated. Applications for the instrument are outlined.
Going Mobile With Diabetes Support: A Randomized Study of a Text Message–Based Personalized Behavioral Intervention for Type 2 Diabetes Self-Care

Objective. Patients with type 2 diabetes often fail to achieve self-management goals. This study tested the impact on glycemic control of a two-way text messaging program that provided behavioral coaching, education, and testing reminders to enrolled individuals with type 2 diabetes in the context of a clinic-based quality improvement initiative. The secondary aim examined patient interaction and satisfaction with the program. Methods. Ninety-three adult patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (A1C >8%) were recruited from 18 primary care clinics in three counties for a 6-month study. Patients were randomized by a computer to one of two arms. Patients in both groups continued with their usual care; patients assigned to the intervention arm also received from one to seven diabetes-related text messages per day depending on the choices they made at enrollment. At 90 and 180 days, A1C data were obtained from the electronic health record and analyzed to determine changes from baseline for both groups. An exit survey was used to assess satisfaction. Enrollment behavior and interaction data were pulled from a Web-based administrative portal maintained by the technology vendor. Results. Patients used the program in a variety of ways. Twenty-nine percent of program users demonstrated frequent engagement (texting responses at least three times per week) for a period of ≥90 days. Survey results indicate very high satisfaction with the program. Both groups’ average A1C decreased from baseline, possibly reflecting a broader quality improvement effort underway in participating clinics. At 90 and 180 days, there was no statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups in terms of change in A1C (P >0.05). Conclusions. This study demonstrated a practical approach to implementing and monitoring a mobile health intervention for self-management support across a wide range of independent clinic practices.
Using social cues to estimate possible destinations when driving a robotic wheelchair

Approaching a group of humans is an important navigation task. Although many methods have been proposed to avoid interrupting groups of people engaged in a conversation, just a few works have considered the proper way of joining those groups. Research in the field of social sciences have proposed geometric models to compute the best points to join a group. In this article we propose a method to use those points as possible destinations when driving a robotic wheelchair. Those points are considered together with other possible destinations in the environment such as points of interest or typical static destinations defined by the user's habits. The intended destination is inferred using a Dynamic Bayesian Network that takes into account the contextual information of the environment and user's orders to compute the probability for each destination.
The dual impact of gender and the influence of timing of parenthood on men’s and women’s career development: Longitudinal findings

This study investigated the impact of gender, the gender-related self-concept (agency and communion), and the timing of parenthood on objective career success of 1,015 highly educated professionals. Hypotheses derived from a dual-impact model of gender and career-related processes were tested in a 5-wave longitudinal study over a time span of 10 years starting with participants’ career entry. In line with our hypotheses we found that the communal component of the gender self-concept had an impact on parenthood, and the agentic component influenced work hours and objective career success (salary, status) of both women and men. Parenthood had a negative direct influence on women’s work hours and a negative indirect influence on women’s objective career success. Women who had their first child around career entry were relatively least successful over the observation period. Men’s career success was independent of parenthood. Sixty-five percent of variance in women’s career success and 33% of variance in men’s career success was explained by the factors analyzed here. Mothers with partners working full time reduced their work hours more than mothers with partners not working full time. A test for a possible reverse influence of career success on the decision to become a parent revealed no effect for men and equivocal effects for women. We conclude that the transition to parenthood still is a crucial factor for women’s career development both from an external gender perspective (expectations, gender roles) and from an internal perspective (gender-related self-concept).