Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hearsay Ethnography: Capturing Culture in Action

Sociology has long struggled to develop methods adequate to its theoretical understanding of society as a reality sui generis (Durkheim, 1982). While culture is widely understood as the most collective aspect of societies, the methods sociologists use keep pulling us back toward an image of culture as produced by the interaction of individual minds. To try to capture more effectively what is genuinely collective about culture, we focus here on conversational interactions—the voices and actions that constitute the relational space among actors. Hearsay ethnography provides us with a method: the analysis of texts produced by cultural insiders who keep journals of who-said-what-to-whom in conversations they overhear or events they participate in during the course of their daily lives. We describe the method, distinguishing it from other approaches and noting its drawbacks. We then explore the ways and settings in which participants in conversational interactions use culture, illustrating the methodological advantages of hearsay ethnography with examples from our texts. We end with a discussion of what we have learned about culture in action and the method’s potential in our setting as well as in other places and times.
Ectopic Fat Depots and Left Ventricular Function in Nondiabetic Men With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background—Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has emerged as a novel cardiovascular risk factor. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of different ectopic fat depots on left ventricular (LV) function in subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Methods and Results—Myocardial and hepatic triglyceride contents were measured with 1.5 T magnetic resonance spectroscopy and LV function, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue, epicardial and pericardial fat by MRI in 75 nondiabetic men. Subjects were stratified by hepatic triglyceride content into low, moderate, and high liver fat groups. Myocardial triglyceride, epicardial and pericardial fat, VAT, and subcutaneous adipose tissue increased stepwise from low to high liver fat group. Parameters of LV diastolic function showed a stepwise decrease over tertiles of liver fat and VAT, and they were inversely correlated with hepatic triglyceride, VAT, and VAT/subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio. In multivariable analyses, hepatic triglyceride and VAT were independent predictors of LV diastolic function, whereas myocardial triglyceride was not associated with measures of diastolic function. Conclusions—Myocardial triglyceride, epicardial and pericardial fat increased with increasing amount of liver fat and VAT. Hepatic steatosis and VAT associated with significant changes in LV structure and function. The association of LV diastolic function with hepatic triglyceride and VAT may be because of toxic systemic effects. The effects of myocardial triglyceride on LV structure and function seem to be more complex than previously thought and merit further study.
Random fractals and probability metrics

New metrics are introduced in the space of random measures and are applied, with various modifications of the contraction method, to prove existence and uniqueness results for self-similar random fractal measures. We obtain exponential convergence, both in distribution and almost surely, of an iterative sequence of random measures (defined by means of the scaling operator) to a unique self-similar random measure. The assumptions are quite weak, and correspond to similar conditions in the deterministic case. The fixed mass case is handled in a direct way based on regularity properties of the metrics and the properties of a natural probability space. Proving convergence in the random mass case needs additional tools, such as a specially adapted choice of the space of random measures and of the space of probability distributions on measures, the introduction of reweighted sequences of random measures and a comparison technique.
Ground reaction force control at each foot: A momentum-based humanoid balance controller for non-level and non-stationary ground

We present a novel momentum-based method for maintaining balance of humanoid robots. By controlling the desired ground reaction force (GRF) and center of pressure (CoP) at each support foot, our method can naturally deal with non-level and non-stationary ground at each foot-ground contact, as well as different frictional properties. We do not make use of the net GRF and CoP which may be difficult or impossible to compute for non-level grounds. Our method minimizes the ankle torques during double support. We show the effectiveness of this new balance control method by simulating various experiments with a humanoid robot including maintaining balance when two feet are on separate moving supports with different inclinations and velocities.
Improved allometric models to estimate the aboveground biomass of tropical trees

Terrestrial carbon stock mapping is important for the successful implementation of climate change mitigation policies. Its accuracy depends on the availability of reliable allometric models to infer oven‐dry aboveground biomass of trees from census data. The degree of uncertainty associated with previously published pantropical aboveground biomass allometries is large. We analyzed a global database of directly harvested trees at 58 sites, spanning a wide range of climatic conditions and vegetation types (4004 trees ≥ 5 cm trunk diameter). When trunk diameter, total tree height, and wood specific gravity were included in the aboveground biomass model as covariates, a single model was found to hold across tropical vegetation types, with no detectable effect of region or environmental factors. The mean percent bias and variance of this model was only slightly higher than that of locally fitted models. Wood specific gravity was an important predictor of aboveground biomass, especially when including a much broader range of vegetation types than previous studies. The generic tree diameter–height relationship depended linearly on a bioclimatic stress variable E, which compounds indices of temperature variability, precipitation variability, and drought intensity. For cases in which total tree height is unavailable for aboveground biomass estimation, a pantropical model incorporating wood density, trunk diameter, and the variable E outperformed previously published models without height. However, to minimize bias, the development of locally derived diameter–height relationships is advised whenever possible. Both new allometric models should contribute to improve the accuracy of biomass assessment protocols in tropical vegetation types, and to advancing our understanding of architectural and evolutionary constraints on woody plant development.
Virtual Snooping Coherence for Multi-Core Virtualized Systems

Proliferation of virtualized systems opens a new opportunity to improve the scalability of multi-core architectures. Among the scalability bottlenecks in multi-cores, cache coherence has been one of the most critical problems. Although snoop-based protocols have been dominating commercial multi-core designs, it has been difficult to scale them for more cores, as snooping protocols require high network bandwidth and power consumption for snooping all the caches.In this paper, we propose a novel snoop-based cache coherence protocol, called virtual snooping, for virtualized multi-core architectures. Virtual snooping exploits memory isolation across virtual machines and prevents unnecessary snoop requests from crossing the virtual machine boundaries. Each virtual machine becomes a virtual snoop domain, consisting of a subset of the cores in a system. Although the majority of virtual machine memory is isolated, sharing of cachelines across VMs still occur. To address such data sharing, this paper investigates three factors, data sharing through the hypervisor, virtual machine relocation, and content-based sharing. In this paper, we explore the design space of virtual snooping with experiments on emulated and real virtualized systems including the mechanisms and overheads of the hypervisor. In addition, the paper discusses the scheduling impact on the effectiveness of virtual snooping.
Accurate adsorption energies for small molecules on oxide surfaces: CH4/MgO(001) and C2H6/MgO(001)

A hybrid method is applied that combines second order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) for cluster models with density functional theory for periodic (slab) models to obtain structures and energies for methane and ethane molecules adsorbed on the MgO(001) surface. Single point calculations are performed to estimate the effect of increasing the cluster size on the MP2 energies and to evaluate the difference between coupled cluster (CCSD(T)) and MP2 energies. The final estimates of the adsorption energies are 12.9 ± 1.3 and 18.9 ± 1.8 kJ/mol for CH4 and C2H6, respectively. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ligDB - Online Query Processing Without (almost) any Storage

In the big-data era data is arriving at such a high pace and volume that data exploration and querying can only be feasible if data loading and indexing happens reasonably quick—if at all. Recent research on handling large scien- tific data suggests ignoring any database indexing or even data-loading processing steps but rather turns toward pro- cessing raw data as it is handed in by scientists, manually or by semi-automated means—if needed in multiple, itera- tive steps. In this paper, we describe the anatomy and re- search challenges of a system coined ligDB 1 that is operat- ing purely on incomplete database tables, JSON documents, or sets of SPO triplets that are being filled over time. There is no data stored per se; the only data stored is stemming from previously posed queries over the stream of arriving data; kept as long as it is used by forthcoming queries and otherwise evicted. A key point is that velocity dimension of "big data"allows queries being processed as they are posted, with higher-level queries processed on historic query results (views) and live data. Data that is not touched by any posted query is immediately discarded.
LDP Specification

The architecture for Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is described in RFC 3031. A fundamental concept in MPLS is that two Label Switching Routers (LSRs) must agree on the meaning of the labels used to forward traffic between and through them. This common understanding is achieved by using a set of procedures, called a label distribution protocol, by which one LSR informs another of label bindings it has made. This document defines a set of such procedures called LDP (for Label Distribution Protocol) by which LSRs distribute labels to support MPLS forwarding along normally routed paths.
Using Sampling and Simplex Derivatives in Pattern Search Methods

In this paper, we introduce ways of making a pattern search more efficient by reusing previous evaluations of the objective function, based on the computation of simplex derivatives (e.g., simplex gradients). At each iteration, one can attempt to compute an accurate simplex gradient by identifying a sampling set of previously evaluated points with good geometrical properties. This can be done using only past successful iterates or by considering all past function evaluations. The simplex gradient can then be used to reorder the evaluations of the objective function associated with the directions used in the poll step or to update the mesh size parameter according to a sufficient decrease criterion, neither of which requires new function evaluations. We present these procedures in detail and apply them to a set of problems from the CUTEr collection. Numerical results show that these procedures can enhance significantly the practical performance of pattern search methods.
Ten-month-old infants infer the value of goals from the costs of actions

Ranking valuations on the basis of observed choices Obliged to make a choice between two goals, we evaluate the benefits of achieving the goals compared with the costs of the actions required before deciding what to do. This seems perfectly straightforward, and it is unsurprising to learn that we can also apply this reasoning to others; that is, someone that we see choosing a goal that requires a more costly action must value that goal more highly. What is remarkable, as Liu et al. report, is that preverbal children can reason in this same fashion. Science, this issue p. 1038 Infants can assess how worthwhile or valuable an object or goal may be from others’ behaviors in achieving or acquiring it. Infants understand that people pursue goals, but how do they learn which goals people prefer? We tested whether infants solve this problem by inverting a mental model of action planning, trading off the costs of acting against the rewards actions bring. After seeing an agent attain two goals equally often at varying costs, infants expected the agent to prefer the goal it attained through costlier actions. These expectations held across three experiments that conveyed cost through different physical path features (height, width, and incline angle), suggesting that an abstract variable—such as “force,” “work,” or “effort”—supported infants’ inferences. We modeled infants’ expectations as Bayesian inferences over utility-theoretic calculations, providing a bridge to recent quantitative accounts of action understanding in older children and adults.
On the Optimality of Clickthrough Fees in Online Markets

We study optimal fee setting decisions by a monopoly online platform connecting advertisers with potential buyers in two environments: a simple model that captures stylised features of advertising on search engines, social networks and advertisement‐supported email; and a richer model that is more relevant for ‘directed’ search at price comparison sites. While the platform can choose to charge for both impressions and clicks, we show that the platform maximises profits by using clickthrough fees exclusively. Our model offers a rationale for the evolving practice of relying purely on clickthrough fees for revenues in many online advertising markets.
Phosphorylation and Regulation of a Gq/11-coupled Receptor by Casein Kinase 1α*

Agonist-mediated receptor phosphorylation by one or more of the members of the G-protein receptor kinase (GRK) family is an established model for G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) phosphorylation resulting in receptor desensitization. Our recent studies have, however, suggested that an alternative route to GPCR phosphorylation may be an operation involving casein kinase 1α (CK1α). In the current study we investigate the involvement of CK1α in the phosphorylation of the human m3-muscarinic receptor in intact cells. We show that expression of a catalytically inactive mutant of CK1α, designed to act in a dominant negative manner, inhibits agonist-mediated receptor phosphorylation by ∼40% in COS-7 and HEK-293 cells. Furthermore, we present evidence that a peptide corresponding to the third intracellular loop of the m3-muscarinic receptor (Ser345-Leu463) is an inhibitor of CK1α due to its ability to both act as a pseudo-substrate for CK1α and form a high affinity complex with CK1α. Expression of this peptide was able to reduce both basal and agonist-mediated m3-muscarinic receptor phosphorylation in intact cells. These results support the notion that CK1α is able to mediate GPCR phosphorylation in an agonist-dependent manner and that this may provide a novel mechanism for GPCR phosphorylation. The functional role of phosphorylation was investigated using a mutant of the m3-muscarinic receptor that showed an ∼80% reduction in agonist-mediated phosphorylation. Surprisingly, this mutant underwent agonist-mediated desensitization suggesting that, unlike many GPCRs, desensitization of the m3-muscarinic receptor is not mediated by receptor phosphorylation. The inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate response did, however, appear to be dramatically potentiated in the phosphorylation-deficient mutant indicating that phosphorylation may instead control the magnitude of the initial inositol phosphate response.
GENE FLOW, REFUGIA, AND EVOLUTION OF GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN THE SONG SPARROW (MELOSPIZA MELODIA)

We surveyed mtDNA restriction‐site variation in song sparrows taken from across their continental range. Despite marked geographic variation in size and plumage color, mtDNA variation was not geographically structured. Subspecies were not identifiable by mtDNA analysis. We suggest that postglaciation dispersal scattered mtDNA haplotypes across the continent, explaining the lack of mtDNA geographic patterns. Evolution of size and plumage coloration has probably proceeded faster than mtDNA evolution, leading to the well‐structured continental pattern of morphological variation. We suggest that the nonordered geographic distribution of haplotypes reflects the recency of population establishment following completion of range expansion. Dispersal distance was estimated from the mtDNA data at 6.1 km per generation, an order of magnitude greater than that (0.3 km) estimated from demographic data. Island samples were not especially different from continental ones. Rooting the haplotype cladogram with a putative primitive haplotype identified Newfoundland and the Queen Charlotte Islands as potential sites of recent refugia. We question whether study of geographic variation in song sparrows leads to insights concerning speciation.
Workplace incivility: A review of the literature and agenda for future research

Summary A growing body of research explores workplace incivility, defined as low-intensity deviant workplace behavior with an ambiguous intent to harm. In the 15 years since the theoretical introduction of the workplace incivility construct, research in this domain has taken off, albeit in a variety of directions. We review the extant body of research on workplace incivility and note the multitude of samples, sources, methodologies, and instrumentation used. In this review article, we provide an organized review of the extant body of work that encompasses three distinct types of incivility: experienced, witnessed, and instigated incivility. These three types of incivility serve as the foundation for a series of comprehensive models in which we integrate extant empirical research. In the last part of this review article, we suggest directions for future research that may contribute to this growing body of work. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rank Join Queries in NoSQL Databases

Rank (i.e., top- k ) join queries play a key role in modern analytics tasks. However, despite their importance and unlike centralized settings, they have been completely overlooked in cloud NoSQL settings. We attempt to fill this gap: We contribute a suite of solutions and study their performance comprehensively. Baseline solutions are offered using SQL-like languages (like Hive and Pig), based on MapReduce jobs. We first provide solutions that are based on specialized indices, which may themselves be accessed using either MapReduce or coordinator-based strategies. The first index-based solution is based on inverted indices, which are accessed with MapReduce jobs. The second index-based solution adapts a popular centralized rank-join algorithm. We further contribute a novel statistical structure comprising histograms and Bloom filters, which forms the basis for the third index-based solution. We provide (i) MapReduce algorithms showing how to build these indices and statistical structures, (ii) algorithms to allow for online updates to these indices, and (iii) query processing algorithms utilizing them. We implemented all algorithms in Hadoop (HDFS) and HBase and tested them on TPC-H datasets of various scales, utilizing different queries on tables of various sizes and different score-attribute distributions. We ported our implementations to Amazon EC2 and "in-house" lab clusters of various scales. We provide performance results for three metrics: query execution time, network bandwidth consumption, and dollar-cost for query execution.
‘Do You Have to Pack?’—Preparing For Culturally Relevant Science Teaching in the Caribbean

This paper reports on the attempts by some Caribbean science teachers to make links between their students' everyday lives and school science in their planning for teaching. It describes how these teachers drew on their exposure to a university graduate course on science education and culture in seeking to access the background cultural knowledge of their students and to incorporate this knowledge in their plans for teaching science. The paper critically examines the experiences of these teachers and highlights both the rewards and challenges that ensued as these teachers prepared for culturally relevant science teaching
Mobility and Social Networking: A Data Management Perspective

This tutorial presents the state-of-the-art research that lies at the intersection of two hot topics in the data management community: (1) social networking and (2) mobility. In this tutorial, we give an overview of existing research work, systems, and applications related to both social networking and mobility. In addition, we introduce several resources (i.e., datasets, software tools) as well as a list of promising research directions.
Is culture necessary before first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection?

To the Editor We read with interest the article by Wenzhen et al (1), concluding that “antimicrobial susceptibility testing is necessary before first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection”. However, it has been recommended ― in all the Consensus Conferences up to now (2)― that performing culture after prescribing a first (or even a second) eradication treatment is not necessary and that assessing H. pylori sensitivity to antibiotics in clinical practice may be suggested only after failure of the second treatment. In this respect, we would like to emphasize some limitations of performing culture systematically before first-line treatment for H. pylori infection (3, 4): 1) Culture implies the performance of endoscopic exploration, which has several disadvantages: it is annoying, it is not free from risk, and, since endoscopy centres have been subjected to increasing demand, it involves prolonged waiting times. 2) Culture is expensive, due somewhat to the cost of the procedure itself, but mainly due to the costs of the associated endoscopy which is necessary to obtain biopsy specimens. 3) Culture is time-consuming, as H. pylori is a rather “fastidious” bacterium. 4) Culture is not always available on a routine basis. 5) The sensitivity of bacterial culture is not 100%. Indeed, even in the optimal conditions usually encountered in therapeutic trials, culture sensitivity is <90%. 6) Antibiotic susceptibility testing in clinical practice yields useful information only regarding a few antibiotics: clarithromycin and, less clearly, metronidazole (as resistance to amoxicillin and tetracycline is extremely low). 7) Even knowing the susceptibility of H. pylori, eradication rates do not achieve 100%, as the results observed in vivo by following in vitro susceptibility to antibiotics are often disappointing. 8) Finally, relatively high eradication rates ( 90%) have been obtained with newer and ―different from the standard triple regimens― empirical first-line treatments, such as the “sequential” and the “concomitant” regimens (5). In summary, H. pylori culture is an invasive, timeconsuming method, offering quite low sensitivity, requiring significant cost, and which, in practice, tests very few antibiotics, with a questionable contribution to the management of patients (4). Whether patients should undergo an upper endoscopy for bacterial culture remains a debatable matter (4). Obviously, the importance of H. pylori culture remains unaltered both in epidemiological and pharmacological research fields. Furthermore, it would be recommendable that culture is systematically performed even before first eradication treatment in specialized centres with interest in H. pylori treatment, with the intention to study the prevalence of antibiotic resistances and also to evaluate the influence of such resistances on the efficacy of treatment.