Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online Routines and Identity Theft Victimization

Objectives: The purpose of the current study was to extend recent work aimed at applying routine activity theory to crimes in which the victim and offender never come into physical proximity. To that end, relationships between individuals' online routines and identity theft victimization were examined. Method: Data from a subsample of 5,985 respondents from the 2008 to 2009 British Crime Survey were analyzed. Utilizing binary logistic regression, the relationships between individuals' online routine activities (e.g., banking, shopping, downloading), individual characteristics (e.g., gender, age, employment), and perceived risk of victimization on identity theft victimization were assessed. Results: The results suggest that individuals who use the Internet for banking and/or e-mailing/instant messaging are about 50 percent more likely to be victims of identity theft than others. Similarly, online shopping and downloading behaviors increased victimization risk by about 30 percent. Males, older persons, and those with higher incomes were also more likely to experience victimization, as were those who perceived themselves to be at greater risk of victimization. Conclusions: Although the routine activity approach was originally written to account for direct-contact offenses, it appears that the perspective also has utility in explaining crimes at a distance. Further research should continue to explore the online and offline routines that increase individuals' risks of identity theft victimization.
Sex-Typing of Leisure Activities: A Test of Two Theories

Leisure activities are considered here as a subset of consumption, and we are interested in the relationship between gender schema and leisure activities. In order to test rival predictions about gender schema, sex-typing of leisure activities is related to two individual difference measures: gender personality (Bem 1981) and gender-role attitudes (Spence 1984). 271 subjects were given a list of 75 leisure activities and asked to indicate whether they felt the activity was masculine, feminine, or somewhere in between. We do not find support for Bem’s (1981) theory, but do find partial support for Spence’s (1984) theory. The findings indicate that males sex-type leisure activities to a greater extent than females. Both sex and gender-role attitudes are found to be significant (p
Growth Pattern of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma in Patients with Delayed Surgical Intervention: Fast Growth Rate Correlates with High Grade and May Result in Poor Prognosis

Objectives. Previous studies revealed an unclear correlation between the growth rate of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and tumor grade and did not focus on certain histological subtype. This report investigated the correlation between the growth rate and tumor grade in clear cell RCC (ccRCC). Methods. We reviewed 60 patients with 61 ccRCC confirmed by delayed surgeries after at least 12 months of active surveillance. The linear growth rate (LGR), volumetric growth rate (VGR), and volume doubling time (VDT) were calculated, and their correlations with clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed. Results. The mean LGR, VGR, and VDT were 0.86 (range 0–4.74) cm/year, 20.96 (range 0.31–211.93) cm3/year, and 667 (range 33–3321) days, respectively. ccRCCs with high grade had greater LGR (P < 0.001) and VGR (P = 0.001) and lower VDT (P = 0.017) than ccRCCs with low grade. Grade (OR = 5.185, P = 0.004) was the only independent risk factor of LGR >0.5 cm/year, and grade (OR = 3.006, P = 0.046) and initial size (OR = 0.392, P = 0.004) were independent risk factors of VDT <1 year. Five patients developed metastasis after surgery with LGR >0.5 cm/yr altogether; of them, four had cancer-related death by the last follow-up. Conclusions. Fast growth rate of ccRCC is significantly correlated with high tumor grade and may result in poor prognosis, especially for those with LGR >0.5 cm/yr.
AdaHeat: A General Adaptive Intelligent Agent for Domestic Heating Control

Improving the energy efficiency of domestic heating systems can lead to a major reduction in energy consumption and the corresponding CO2 emissions. To this end, intelligent domestic heating agents (IDHAs) aim to operate domestic heating systems more efficiently with minimum user input. In this work, we propose a new general IDHA that balances heating cost and thermal discomfort in an infinite horizon optimization manner, learns an adaptive thermal model of the system under control on-line and plans a heating schedule that fully exploits the probabilistic occupancy estimates. Importantly, our agent adapts to the user preferences in balancing heating cost and thermal discomfort, as it relies on a single parametrization variable that is learned on-line, and is able to consider a wide range of heating systems typically employed in domestic settings. The backbone of our IDHA is an adaptive model predictive control approach along with a new general planning algorithm that utilizes dynamic programming. We present a thorough evaluation of our approach, and show its effectiveness in terms of Pareto efficiency and usability criteria against state-of-the-art IDHAs. By so doing, we also conduct a comprehensive characterization of existing IDHAs to provide significant insights about their performance in different operational settings.
‘I think it helps you better when you’re not scared’: fear and learning in the primary classroom

The research reported in this article explored in 2013 the classroom fear of two samples of UK primary school pupils (aged 7–8 and also 10–11 years old). The investigation was approached within a framework of critical theory, in which emancipatory aims were embraced. The authoritarian nature of most classrooms necessitates that teachers control pupils through coercion underpinning authoritarian pedagogy, whether through autocratic, parental or more democratic yet still authoritarian means. Such control by the teacher over many pupils makes transformational learning difficult, and fear is considered to be one important impediment to transformational learning. During four triangulated data collection activities including observation, children’s drawing, children’s sentence writing and interviews, I investigated children’s experiences of fear in their classrooms. Findings suggested that the authoritarian nature of their classrooms did provoke fears that were destructive to transformational learning. Ways of addressing fears and implications for future classrooms are suggested.
Biologia Plantarum Xx (x): Xxx-xxx, 20xx Improving Tobacco Freezing Tolerance by Co-transfer of Stress-inducible Cbcbf and Cbice53 Genes

Cold stress is one of the major limitations to crop productivity worldwide. We investigated the effects of multiple gene expression from cold tolerant Capsella bursa-pastoris in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum) plants. We combined CblCE53 and CbCBF into a reconstruct vector by isocaudomers. Plant overexpression CbICE53 under the stress inducible CbCOR15b promoter and CbCBF under a constitutive promoter showed increased tolerance to both chilling and freezing temperature in comparison to wild-type plants, according to the electrolyte leakage and relative water content. The expressions of endogenous cold-responsive genes in transgenic tobacco (NtDREB1, NtDREB3, NtERD10a and NtERD10b) were obviously upregulated under normal and low temperature condition. These results suggest that the CbICE53 + CbCBF transgenic plants showed a much greater cold tolerance as well as no dwarfism and delayed flowering. Thus they can be considered as a potential candidate for transgenic engineering for cold tolerant tobaccos.
Integrated Energy-Aware Mechanism for MANETs using On-demand Routing

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) are multi-hop wireless networks in which all nodes cooperatively maintain network connectivity. In such a multi-hop wireless network, every node may be required to perform routing in order to achieve end-to-end communication among nodes. These networks are energy constrained as most ad hoc mobile nodes today operate with limited battery power. Hence, it is important to minimize the energy consumption of the entire network in order to maximize the lifetime of ad hoc networks. In this paper, a mechanism involving the integration of load balancing approach and transmission power control approach is introduced to maximize the life-span of MANETs. The mechanism is applied on Ad hoc On-demand Vector (AODV) protocol to make it as energy aware AODV (EA_AODV). The simulation is carried out using GloMoSim2.03 simulator. The results show that the proposed mechanism reduces the average required transmission energy per packet compared to the standard AODV. Keywords—energy aware routing, load balance, Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, MANETs ,on demand routing,transmission power control.
Association of endothelial lipase gene−384A/C with coronary artery disease in Han Chinese people

Objectives The endothelial lipase gene (LIPG) is one of the important genes in the metabolism of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Materials and methods To investigate the relationship between the common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) 584C/T (rs2000813) and −384A/C (rs3813082) in the LIPG gene and CAD, allele and genotype frequencies of the two SNPs were analysed in 287 Chinese patients with CAD and 367 controls by the high-resolution melting curve (HRM) method. Results For 584C/T, no significant difference in polymorphic distribution was observed between patients and controls. However, the frequencies of allele C (20.2% vs 15%, p=0.013, OR=1.437, 95% CI 1.078 to 1.915) at −384A/C were significantly increased in patients compared with controls. Haplotype analysis also showed that haplotype CT (12.37% vs 8.72%, p=0.035, OR=1.478, 95% CI 1.034 to 2.112) was significantly higher in patients compared with controls. Conclusions These results suggested that the SNP −384A/C in the LIPG gene may be associated with risk for CAD and the LIPG gene may play a role in CAD in the Han Chinese.
The Information Theoretically Efficient Model (ITEM): A model for computerized analysis of large datasets

This document discusses the Information Theoretically Efficient Model (ITEM), a computerized system to generate an information theoretically efficient multinomial logistic regression from a general dataset. More specifically, this model is designed to succeed even where the logit transform of the dependent variable is not necessarily linear in the independent variables. This research shows that for large datasets, the resulting models can be produced on modern computers in a tractable amount of time. These models are also resistant to overfitting, and as such they tend to produce interpretable models with only a limited number of features, all of which are designed to be well behaved.
AA online: the enactment of supportive Computer Mediated Communication

This study compared self‐presentation and other‐orientation behaviors and interaction patterns in three types of online AA groups (i.e., asynchronous discussions, formal synchronous AA meetings, and informal chats) to the behaviors and interaction patterns in other computer mediated support groups and computer mediated nonsupport (interest) groups. Results showed AA groups differed somewhat from other support groups and support groups differed from nonsupport interest groups. Asynchronous AA discussions had the highest proportion of semi‐private and private‐personal self‐presentations, agreements, and personal acceptance. Private‐personal disclosures also tended to be followed by personal acceptance. Formal synchronous AA meetings were characterized by reciprocity of private personal disclosure and informal chats between recovering alcoholics were characterized by reciprocity of personal acceptance. AA groups in particular and support groups in general engaged in fewer negative comments, and opinion disclosures were not as likely to evoke negative responses as in nonsupport interest groups. Results supported Walther's (1996) hyperpersonal model and the supportive character of online AA groups. Overall there was reciprocity of self‐presentation and other‐orientation, and self‐presentation codes predicted the nature of other‐orientation responses.
Who Makes Mistakes? Using Data Mining Techniques to Analyze Reporting Errors in Total Acres Operated

Classification trees were used to identify subgroups of respondents with higher error rates when reporting total acres operated on the 2002 Census of Agriculture. Separate trees were grown for operations exhibiting total acres summation errors, missing data, and nonequivalent sums of reported total acres. Terminal tree nodes demonstrating the greatest frequency of total acres operated errors identify characteristics of respondents and or operations that are more likely to make errors, suggest possible reasons for errors, identify content for future tests of alternative questionnaires and suggest ways to appropriately edit these items. Advantages of using classification trees over other analytic methods are also discussed.
The Japanese Corporate Network: A Blockmodel Analysis

Michael L. Gerlach University of California at Berkeley Japanese intercorporate relationships are considered in terms of three different structures of interaction: corporate groupings, financial centrality, and industrial interdependency. The significance of each of these structures is tested with a sample of the forty largest industrial firms and twenty largest financial firms in Japan across networks of equity ownership, interlocking directorships, and banking borrowing. Macro-network blockmodeling analysis demonstrates that financial hierarchy is a pervasive pattern for all sets of relationships, and the position of industrial firms in the network is largely determined by corporate group membership (i.e., keiretsu). However, in contrast to predictions that financial centrality and corporate groupings will be used to manage industrial interdependencies among closely related firms, the results suggest that industrial firms with similar network positions represent highly diversified market sectors. These findings together provide a relatively finely detailed picture of the sources of network structure in Japan, variations that exist among different intercorporate network variables, the role of financial institutions in the Japanese economy, and the hierarchical nature of Japanese corporate groupings. '
Achievable Degrees of Freedom for Interference Broadcast Channels with Asymmetric Complex Signaling

Abstract-In multi-cell environments, interference alignment (IA) introduced by Cadambe and Jafar is an effective strategy for managing interference. However, this requires a large number of symbol extension in time/frequency domain to gurantee the optimal number of degrees of freedom (DOF). Recently, in the single-input single-output (SISO) case, a new idea of the IA scheme based on asymmetric complex signaling and symbol extension was proposed where at least the DOF of 1:2 is achievable for all complex channel values. In this paper, we prove that at least the DOF of 1:5 is achievable in multi-cell and multi-user interfering broadcast channels under the assumption of constant channel coefficients with no symbol extension. We also show that the achievable DOF varies with the condition of user scale and w(SNR^.5) users are required to guarantee the DOF of 1:5. Furthermore, a simple IA scheme in conjunction with user selection which groups semi-aligned users is proposed to realize the achievable DOF.
Proactive and reactive control by the medial frontal cortex

Adaptive behavior requires the ability to flexibly control actions. This can occur either proactively to anticipate task requirements, or reactively in response to sudden changes. Recent work in humans has identified a network of cortical and subcortical brain region that might have an important role in proactive and reactive control. However, due to technical limitations, such as the spatial and temporal resolution of the BOLD signal, human imaging experiments are not able to disambiguate the specific function(s) of these brain regions. These limitations can be overcome through single-unit recordings in non-human primates. In this article, we describe the behavioral and physiological evidence for dual mechanisms of control in response inhibition in the medial frontal cortex of monkeys performing the stop signal or countermanding task.
Online generation of humanoid walking motion based on a fast generation method of motion pattern that follows desired ZMP

This paper presents an efficient online method to generate humanoid walking motions that satisfy desired upper body trajectories while simultaneously carrying objects. A fast motion pattern generation technique that follows the desired ZMP is adopted. In order to satisfy the control input given online, subsequent motion patterns are updated and connected in a stable manner to the old ones while executing. During the creation of motion trajectories online, the commanded motion parameters are checked and modified automatically considering the performance limitations of the hardware. As an example application, we have implemented a one step cycle control system on the Humanoid H7. Experiments controlling the upper body motion and walking direction using a joystick interface are explained to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.
Learning to Rank with Graph Consistency

The ranking models of existing image search engines are generally based on associated text while the image visual content is actually neglected. Imperfect search results frequently appear due to the mismatch between the textual features and the actual image content. Visual reranking, in which visual information is applied to refine text based search results, has been proven to be effective. However, the improvement brought by visual reranking is limited, and the main reason is that the errors in the text-based results will propagate to the refinement stage. In this paper, we propose a Content-Aware Ranking model based on “learning to rank” framework, in which textual and visual information are simultaneously leveraged in the ranking learning process. We formulate the Content-Aware Ranking learning based on large margin structured output learning, by modeling the visual information into a regularization term. The direct optimization of the learning problem is nearly infeasible since the number of constraints is huge. The efficient cutting plane algorithm is adopted to learn the model by iteratively adding the most violated constraints. Extensive experimental results on a large-scale dataset collected from a commercial Web image search engine demonstrate that the proposed ranking model significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art ranking and reranking methods.
Use of DNA Barcodes to Identify Invasive Armyworm Spodoptera Species in Florida

Abstract A critical component for sustaining adequate food production is the protection of local agriculture from invasive pest insects. Essential to this goal is the ability to accurately distinguish foreign from closely related domestic species, a process that has traditionally required identification using diagnostic morphological “keys” that can be both subtle and labor-intensive. This is the case for the Lepidopteran group of insects represented by Spodoptera, a genus of Noctuidae “armyworm” moths that includes several important agricultural pests. Two of the most destructive species, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and S. litura (F.) are not yet established in North America. To facilitate the monitoring for these pests, the feasibility of using DNA barcoding methodology for distinguishing between domestic and foreign Spodoptera species was tested. A DNA barcoding database was derived for a subset of Spodoptera species native to Florida, with an emphasis on those attracted to pheromone blends developed for S. litura or S. littoralis. These were then compared to the barcode sequences of S. litura collected from Taiwan and S. littoralis from Portugal. Consistent discrimination of the different species was obtained with phenetic relationships produced that were generally in agreement with phylogenetic studies using morphological characteristics. The data presented here indicate that DNA barcoding has the potential to be an efficient and accurate supplement to morphological methods for the identification of invasive Spodoptera pests in North America.
Association of FMO3 Variants and Trimethylamine N-Oxide Concentration, Disease Progression, and Mortality in CKD Patients

Elevated levels of circulating pro-atherogenic uremic solutes, particularly trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), have been implicated in cardiovascular disease development in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). TMAO is generated from trimethylamine (TMA) via metabolism by hepatic flavin-containing monooxygenase isoform 3 (FMO3). We determined the functional effects of three common FMO3 variants at amino acids 158, 308, and 257 on TMAO concentrations in a prospective cohort study and evaluated associations of polymorphisms with CKD progression and mortality. Each additional minor allele at amino acid 158 was associated with a 0.38 μg/mL higher circulating TMAO (p = 0.01) and with faster rates of annualized relative eGFR decline. Participants with 0, 1 and 2 variant alleles averaged an eGFR loss of 8%, 12%, and 14% per year, respectively (p-for trend = 0.05). Compared to participants with the homozygous reference allele, heterozygous and homozygous variant participants had a 2.0-fold (95% CI: 0.85, 4.6) and 2.2-fold (95% CI: 0.89, 5.48) higher risk of mortality, respectively (p-for-trend = 0.04). No associations with clinical outcomes were observed for allelic variants at amino acids 257 or 308. Understanding the contribution of genetic variation of FMO3 to disease progression and all-cause mortality can guide recommendations for diet modification or pharmacotherapy in CKD patients at increased risk of adverse outcomes.
What music teachers want: The emergence of a unified understanding of an ideal teacher education course

[Abstract]: 'Burnout' and praxis shock are causing music teachers to leave the profession early. Much research suggests that this is a reflection on the quality of teacher education programs. Interviews with teachers in their first four years in the secondary music classroom reveal how they view their preservice preparation, and therefore provide an insight into how preservice teacher education might be effectively reconceptualised. This paper explores the relationship between Zeichner and Liston's (1990) teacher education 'traditions' and early-career music teachers' perceptions of an 'ideal' teacher education course. Analyses of interviews with 15 early-career secondary classroom music teachers suggest the emergence of a common understanding regarding the design of effective music teacher education programs. Rather than representing any of Zeichner and Liston's four traditions in particular, early-career music teachers speak of a music teacher education approach that incorporates all of the traditions in an integrated way. This understanding of an 'ideal' teacher education course should be considered when designing or reconceptualising teacher education courses in order to provide improved opportunities for future music teachers.