Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Reusability of Learning Objects with Object-Oriented Inheritance Relationships

This paper points out relevant issues of object inheritance in the context of SCORM/CORDRA research communities. We propose a mechanism, as well as an implemented prototype system, that can be used to support searching and reusing of learning objects formed by a reusability tree in repositories. The underlying repository to store learning objects is constructed based on the architecture defined as CORDRA. We integrate the authoring tool, the LMS, and the repository as a total solution to SCORM-based distance learning. The proposed MINE registry served as an instance of CORDRA-based repository is also discussed.
Features of a radial user interface to search engines

The paper is concerned with a new type of user interface to search engines. Instead of presenting search results in a form of a ranked list, the results are presented in radial arrangement. In the center of the interface the most relevant web page is presented. Other web pages are located around the central one. The location of a web page depends on two factors: its relevance to the query and its content. The relevance has influence on the pages' proximity to the center and the content determines the direction in which web pages are located. The proposed interface has many features which support users in exploring search results including keywords that inform about the subjects of the web pages located in different directions. The design of the interface borrows from Self Organizing Maps (SOM), however the interface has advantages of a typical ranked list.
Towards a framework for black-box simulation optimization

Optimization using simulation has increased in popularity in recent years as more and more simulation packages now offer optimization features. At the same time, academic research in this area has grown, but more work is needed to bring results from the academic community to solve practical problems. The paper describes an effort in this direction. We present a framework that can be used to effectively solve large combinatorial-type simulation optimization problems in an automated or semi-automated manner.
Determining the regularization parameter: A hybrid reconstruction technique in fluorescence molecular tomography

Fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) can obtain a sufficient data set and optimal three-dimensional images when projections are captured over 360°by CCD camera. In the Tikhonov regularization-based reconstruction procedure of FMT, the optimal regularization parameter obtained by some parameter-choice methods might miss the accurate result due to the model-mismatch and discretization error. Herein a two-step algorithm was proposed. In the first step, a suboptimal parameter was estimated based on the expected value of the Fourier coefficient of perturbation. Then in the second step, the L-curve criterion was adopted to get the optimal parameter in the permissible region obtained in the first step. With the optimal parameter and permissible region, more accurate reconstruction result was acquired. Experimental results suggested that such technique outperform the traditional L-curve criterion when applying into the FMT reconstruction.
Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressors Tumor-Secreted LOXL 2 Activates Fibroblasts through FAK Signaling

Cancer-associated fibroblasts enhance cancer progression when activated by tumor cells through mechanisms not yet fully understood. Blocking mammary tumor cell–derived lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) significantly inhibited mammary tumor cell invasion and metastasis in transgenic and orthotopic mouse models. Here, we discovered that tumor-derivedLOXL2directly activated stromalfibroblasts in the tumormicroenvironment.Geneticmanipulationor antibody inhibition of LOXL2 in orthotopically grownmammary tumors reduced the expression ofa-smoothmuscle actin (a-SMA). Using a marker for reticular fibroblasts, it was determined that expression of a-SMA was localized to fibroblasts recruited from the host tissue. This marker also revealed that the matrix present in tumors with reduced levels of LOXL2 was more scattered compared with control tumors which exhibited matrices with dense, parallel alignments. Importantly, in vitro assays revealed that tumor-derived LOXL2 and a recombinant LOXL2 protein induced fibroblast branching on collagen matrices, as well as increased fibroblast-mediated collagen contraction and invasionoffibroblasts through extracellularmatrix.Moreover, LOXL2 induced the expression ofa-SMA infibroblasts grown on collagen matrices. Mechanistically, it was determined that LOXL2 activated fibroblasts through integrinmediated focal adhesion kinase activation. These results indicate that inhibition of LOXL2 in tumors not only reduces tumor cell invasion but also attenuates the activation of host cells in the tumor microenvironment. Implications: These findings reveal new insight into the mechanisms of fibroblast activation, a novel function of LOXL2, and further highlight the importance of generating LOXL2-targeted therapies for the prevention of tumor progression and metastasis. Mol Cancer Res; 11(11); 1425–36. 2013 AACR.
Real-time Facial Expression Animation on An Individualized Face Using Adaptive Simulation Algorithm

This paper presents a hierarchical 3D face model of a specific person that conforms to the facial anatomy for realistic facial expression animation and a new fast algorithm for animating high-resolution facial models. Based on the accurate facial mesh reconstructed from the individual facial measurements, we develop a biomechanical face model with hierarchical structure, incorporating the skin, muscle and skull. For computational efficiency, we devise an adaptive simulation algorithm by categorizing the skin nodes into three subsets based on their dynamic characteristics. It uses either a semi-implicit integration scheme or a quasi-static solver to compute the relaxation by traversing the designed data structures in a breadth-first order. The algorithm runs in real-time and successfully synthesizes realistic facial expressions.
Fiber size and number in amphibole asbestos-induced mesothelioma.

Numbers and sizes of fibers from the lungs of 10 patients who had an amphibole asbestos-induced malignant pleural mesothelioma were analyzed. Amosite was found in 10 lungs and crocidolite in 9; the average ratio of amosite to crocidolite was approximately 14:1. In the 8 patients who were not long-time asbestos insulators , the mean number of amosite fibers was 2.3 X 10(6) fibers/g dry lung, and of crocidolite fibers, 0.2 X 10(6)/g; these values represent an approximately 250-fold increase over those found in the general population. Crocidolite fibers were significantly narrower than amosite fibers (mean width, 0.13 versus 0.23 mu), were significantly shorter (mean length, 4.0 versus 5.8 mu), and had a significantly higher mean aspect (length to width) ratio (48 versus 34). Aspect ratios in general increased with increasing fiber length and decreasing fiber width, but the highest values were found for thin amosite fibers at about 13 mu in length, and thin crocidolite fibers at 8 or 15-17 mu in length. Comparison with data from other asbestos-exposed populations indicates that mesothelioma can be induced by relatively small numbers of amphibole fibers and also indicates that amosite is an effective mesothelial carcinogen in humans. Comparison of these data with epidemiologic and experimental predictions of carcinogenic size ranges for mesothelioma induction implies that either the carcinogenic size range is much broader than has been claimed (in particular, fibers considerably shorter than 8 mu and broader than 0.05 mu can produce mesothelioma), or, alternately, that extraordinarily small absolute numbers of fibers in certain size ranges can induce tumors in humans.
Skilled workers in the class structure

List of tables, diagrams and models Acknowledgements Part I. Debates and Definitions: 1. Orientations to the analysis of class in Britain 2. The traditional working class 3. The labour aristocracy 4. Theoretical orientations to skill 5. Aspects of the social structure of Rochdale, 1856-1964 Part II. The Economic Structuration of Class: 6. The trade union structure in the Rochdale cotton and engineering industries 7. The course of wage differentials in Rochdale during the period 1856-1964 8. Skilled manual workers in the labour process Part III. The Social Structuration of Class: 9. Classes, strata and occupations 10. Class analysis and marital endogamy 11. Intermarriage in Rochdale: class endogamy of brides and grooms 12. Intermarriage in Rochdale: class endogamy of fathers of brides and fathers of grooms 13. Skilled manual workers in the British class structure Appendices Notes Bibliography Index.
A theoretical analysis of visible-light variable N-parallel code-shift-keying in LOS indoor environments

Indoor visible light communications utilizing LED light that are available for not only the illumination but also data transmission are received interest for future home networks. The dimming control function which the illumination brightness can be controlled should not be compromised by the data transmission function. The bit error rate performance of the indoor visible light communications deteriorates by co-channel interference from neighboring LEDs. The Variable N-parallel Code-Shift-Keying (VN-CSK) system using the Modified Prime Sequence Codes (MPSC) has been proposed for indoor visible light communications. The VN-CSK system using MPSC has not only a suppression function for reducing co-channel interference from neighboring LEDs, but also a function for keeping constant data transmission efficiency regardless of dimming control. In this paper, the bit error rate performance of the VN-CSK system using MPSC is evaluated under the indoor visible light communication channel by theoretical analysis. As a result, under the indoor visible light communication channel, the VN-CSK system using MPSC can suppress the influence of co-channel interference by using the group characteristics of MPSC.
Transmission Expansion Planning with Re-design - A Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure

Transmission expansion planning with re-design has been recently proposed in the literature to improve on the classical transmission expansion planning by allowing to cut-off circuits while expanding the network. Although the reductions in the solution costs are significant, the resulting mixed-integer linear programming formulations are very difficult to solve exactly for large networks. In this work, we propose the first metaheuristic for the transmission expansion planing problem with re-design: a simple yet efficient GRASP metaheuristic. We show on realistic networks for which the optimal solutions are known that our method is able to provide in short amounts of time feasible solutions as cheap as the optimal ones. Moreover, we are able to compute a new feasible solution for benchmark instance Brazil Southeast that is cheaper than the best solution from the literature.
Delay Discounting of Reward and Impulsivity in Eating Disorders: From Anorexia Nervosa to Binge Eating Disorder

Evidence points to eating disorder patients displaying altered rates of delay discounting (one's degree of preference for immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards). Anorexia nervosa (AN) patients are believed to have an increased capacity to delay reward, which reflects their ability to override the drive to eat. Contrarily, binge eating disorder (BED) patients are associated with a reduced predisposition to delay gratification. Here, we investigated monetary delay discounting and impulsivity in 80 adult women with EDs (56 AN and 24 BED), diagnosed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition criteria, and 80 healthy controls. AN-restrictive (AN-R) subtype patients showed less steep discounting rates than BED and AN-bingeing/purging subtype patients. Compared with healthy controls and AN-R patients, BED and AN-bingeing/purging patients presented higher delay discounting and positive and negative urgency levels. Our findings suggest that restriction in AN-R patients is associated with disproportionate self-control, whereas bingeing behaviours could be more driven by emotional states and impulsivity traits. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Warm cache costing: a feedback optimization technique for buffer pool aware costing

Most modern RDBMS depend on the query processing optimizer's cost model to choose the best execution plan for a given query. Since the physical IO (PIO) is a costly operation to execute, it naturally has an important weight in RDBMS classical cost models, which assume that the data is disk-resident and does not fit in the available main memory. However, this assumption is no longer true with the advent of cheap large main memories. In this paper, we discuss the importance of considering the buffer-cache occupancy during optimization and propose the Warm Cache Costing (WCC) model as a new technique for buffer-pool aware query optimization. The WCC-model is a novel feedback optimization technique, based on the execution statistics by learning PIO-compensation (PIOC) factors. The PIOC factor defines the average percentage of a table which is cached in the buffer pool. These PIOC factors are used in subsequent query optimizations to better estimate the PIO, thus leading to better plans. These techniques have been implemented in Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) database system. We have observed that they provide considerable improvements in query timings, in Decision Support environments and with almost negligible regression(if any) in other environments. This model enjoys the advantage of requiring no change to the buffer manager or other modules underlying the query processing layer and therefore is easy to implement. Also, since this model is part of an extensive feedback optimization architecture, other techniques using feedback optimization framework can be plugged in easily.
An experimental investigation using Cognitive Bias Modification for paranoid attributions in a non-clinical sample : effects upon interpretation bias, emotions, and paranoia following a stressful paranoia induction

Background: Bentall, Corcoran, Howard, Blackwood, and Kinderman (2001) suggested that paranoid individuals display an ‘external-personal bias’ of blaming negative events on other people rather than situational circumstances or themselves, however, the literature remains equivocal. This study tested whether Cognitive Bias Modification for Interpretations (CBM-I) could train a positive attribution bias and affect subsequent reactions to a stressor designed to induce paranoia. Method: Non-clinical participants were randomly assigned to positive CBM-I training (n = 18), or a neutral control CBM-I (n = 17). Participants were then subject to a stressful paranoia induction: seeing a live video of themselves whilst accessing negative self-beliefs and being given negative feedback when attempting an impossible task. The subsequent effects upon interpretation bias and state paranoia and emotions were assessed. Results: After the paranoia induction, participants in the positive CBM-I group demonstrated a more positive interpretation bias than those in the neutral control group: they endorsed less paranoid interpretations, although there was no difference in ratings of positive interpretations. However, both groups reported a similar increase in state paranoia and suspiciousness after the stressful paranoia induction, and there was no relationship between the trained interpretation bias and the changes in state paranoia. Unexpectedly, pre-existing trait paranoia was correlated with state paranoia and interpretation bias after the stressor. xiv Conclusions: This study demonstrated that CBM-I can train non-clinical participants to endorse less paranoid interpretations. Pre-existing trait paranoia had a stronger relationship to interpretative bias and state paranoia under stress than the CBM-I. The lack of a subsequent effect on emotional reactions suggests that further research is necessary to refine the materials and procedure, and test for possible small or varied effects in a larger sample. Unfortunately, significant methodological problems limit the conclusions that can be drawn about the theory that an externalpersonal attribution bias causes paranoia.
Food Appraisal: Discussing Healthy Diet and Eating in Elementary Science

Food constitutes an important pedagogical component of elementary science. Yet, research on how to approach these topics is scarce. The present study attends to this issue by exploring oral food discourse -- whole-class discussions about food and eating led by three elementary teachers while reading children’s science books aloud. Our discourse analysis revealed varied pedagogical practices. Treated as “foods of luxury”, sugary food items such as ice cream were appraised negatively by two teachers. One teacher expressed negative judgment of students’ emotional appreciation of sugary treats on moral grounds. The second teacher negatively appreciated chocolate products on nutritional grounds (as “bad food” that did not meet one’s calorimetric needs). Both of these teachers resorted to negative evaluation of taste-based food consumption (i.e., eating for pleasure) while discouraging excessive consumption -- defined quantitatively by the second teacher as an unbalanced calorimetric state wherein energetic input superseded output. The last teacher appraised food culturally. Attention was given to cultural meanings of pumpkins pervasive in American culture such as jack-o’-lanterns (food for decoration and celebration). It is argued that elementary teachers need to adopt discursive practices that take into account the complex and often contradictory relationships that children establish with food.
Towards phone segmentation for concatenative speech synthesis

We present a new approach to solve the problem of phone segmentation when preparing databases for concatenative Text-to-Speech synthesis. First, we describe the problem and review the state of the art. Then we present some already existing techniques to perform this segmentation and present our approach based on a Regression Tree to perform Boundary Specific Correction of the HMM segmentation. We discus different evaluation procedures. Finally, we compare some systems and we show how our system improves the system based on HMMs setting 94% of the boundaries within a tolerance of 20ms compared to a manual segmentation, and how phonetic rather than acoustical features are better suited for this task.
The Impact of Relational Demographics on Perceived Managerial Trustworthiness: Similarity or Norms?

Perceived trustworthiness is a critical antecedent of interpersonal trust, yet researchers have a limited understanding of how such perceptions are generated. The authors used 2 competing perspectives within the relational demography literature—similarity-attraction and relational norms—to empirically examine the effect of demographic differences. Whereas the similarity-attraction account suggests that subordinates will perceive their managers as more trustworthy when managers and staff are similar in demographic attributes, the relational norms account proposes that subordinates will perceive their managers as more trustworthy when their demographic differences follow normative expectations. Data collected from a field study of 178 manager—subordinate dyads in Hong Kong and Macau support the relational norms account in terms of education and organizational rank. The authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the study.
A Model of Avian Genome Evolution

Based on the reconstruction of evolutionary tree for avian genome a model of genome evolution is proposed. The importance of k-mer frequency in determining the character divergence among avian species is demonstrated. The classical evolutionary equation is written in terms of nucleotide frequencies of the genome varying in time. The evolution is described by a second-order differential equation. The diversity and the environmental potential play dominant role on the genome evolution. Environmental potential parameters, evolutionary inertial parameter and dissipation parameter are estimated by avian genomic data. To describe the speciation event the quantum evolutionary equation is proposed which is the generalization of the classical equation through correspondence principle. The Schrodinger wave function is the probability amplitude of nucleotide frequencies. The discreteness of quantum state is deduced and the ground-state wave function of avian genome is obtained. As the evolutionary inertia decreasing the classical phase of evolution is transformed into quantum phase. New species production is described by the quantum transition between discrete quantum states. The quantum transition rate is calculated which provides a clue to understand the law of the rapid post-Cretaceous radiation of neoavian birds.
Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention

Creativity is about capturing those moments that make life worth living. The author's objective is to offer an understanding of what leads to these moments, be it the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab, so that knowledge can be used to enrich people's lives. Drawing on 100 interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists to politicians and business leaders, poets and artists, as well as his 30 years of research on the subject, Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous theory to explore the creative process. He discusses such ideas as why creative individuals are often seen as selfish and arrogant, and why the tortured genius is largely a myth. Most important, he clearly explains why creativity needs to be cultivated and is necessary for the future of our country, if not the world. "Accessible and enjoyable reading. " "--Washington Times" "Although the benefits of this study to scholars are obvious, this thought-provoking mixture of scholarly and colloquial will enlighten inquisitive general readers, too. " "--Library Journal (starred review)"
The Meaning of and Proposals for Latin-American Cooperation in Psychology

The literature indicates several advantages and difficulties associated with international scientific cooperation. Due to the need to identify possible areas for cooperation between researchers in Latin America—a way of strengthening cooperation networks—the present qualitative study investigated the meaning of cooperation among Latin American authors and proposals to pursue this endeavor. A purposive sample of 26 researchers responded to 2 open questions. The responses were subjected to thematic analysis. Regarding the meaning of partnerships with other Latin American authors, 7 themes were proposed with focus on identifying the advantages and scope of cooperation and its long-term influence on the scientific and educational fields. The proposals for facilitating Latin American cooperation in psychology were arranged into 8 thematic groups. Based on the researchers’ responses, the study results show the meaning of international cooperation in Latin America and proposals for its development; in addition, they reveal the complexity of regional cooperation, which involves not only scientific research, but also educational cooperation and the organization of scientific events.