Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Maker of Lies: Simmel, Mendacity and the Economy of Faith

Georg Simmel’s treatment of the lie – in the essay ‘The Sociology of Secrecy and Secret Societies’, but in other, lesser known texts as well – is an aspect of his thought that has not received a great deal of attention among theorists. And yet many of his better known contributions to social theory – including his concepts of ‘interaction’ and ‘sociation’, his appreciation of the spatial and the aesthetic dimensions of social life, and his speculations about culture and subjectivity in the modern world – draw on ideas that he developed while contemplating the problem of deception. In this article, I bring Simmel’s work on mendacity to the fore, and show how a consideration of it sheds new light on some of his most familiar claims. I further argue that Simmel’s work on the lie illuminates a very old and vexing set of philosophical debates, and especially the debate over self-deception, or whether or not it is possible to lie to oneself. Along with providing a close study of his comments on the lie in ‘The Sociology of Secrecy and Secret Societies’, and in the chapter of his monumental Sociology that is based on that essay, I propose a reading of Simmel’s heretofore ignored fable or fairytale ‘Der Lügenmacher’ – one of the eight short pieces that he published pseudonymously between 1899 and 1903 in the cultural journal Der Jugend under the heading ‘Momentbilder’ or ‘Snapshots, sub specie aeternitatis’.
Doppler Global Velocimetry : development and wind tunnel tests

Doppler Global Velocimetry is a laser measurement technique able to provide planar velocity fields in a flow seeded with micronic particles. Its main advantage as regards wind tunnel experiments lies in the reduction of tests duration, as several thousands velocity vectors can be obtained in a single shot. The principle lies on a direct measurement of the frequency shift of the light scattered by moving particles (Doppler effect). A narrow absorption band of iodine serves as a frequency-to-intensity converter in the form of a cell placed in front of a CCD camera. The laser has to be tuned and thoroughly stabilized on one of these absorption bands. As frequency drifts can never be really avoided, a patented device, described in this paper, has been designed to give realtime relationship between the intensity measurement and the Doppler shift. The last experiments carried out in ONERA facilities with a two-component DGV system are reported here. First, an OAT15A 2D airfoil has been tested in T2 transonic wind tunnel : the velocity maps precisely show the location of the shock wave and are in good agreement with surface pressure taps measurements. This configuration was chosen to demonstrate the ability of DGV in high speed flows with high velocity gradients. Then, the wake of a 2D model, simulating a compressor rotor blade, has been experimented in another wind tunnel. The mean velocity fields have been compared to PIV measurements. Besides the encouraging results obtained in a large range of aerodynamic conditions, the paper describes specific issues related to the implementation of such a DGV system in a wind tunnel : laser sheet generation and layout, seeding, orientation of the receiving optics, accuracy etc.
Measuring Subjectivities

Over 25 years ago, Kenneth Gergen (1973) radically challenged traditional understandings of knowledge in psychology. To him, knowledge, scientific or otherwise, was not an objective search for laws of behavior that held across time and place but rather a construction created by human beings that was intimately tied to culture and history. People-including scientists-actively construct meanings, interpreting their experience and the action of others rather than uncovering objective reality (Watzlawick, 1984). Social constructionism, as this viewpoint is known in psychology, has a long history in such fields as sociology. Yet it created an uproar among psychologists, many of whom believe that the aim of social science is to find timeless laws of behavior rather than to investigate subjectivities. Gergen (1985) challenged not only the content of psychological research, but also its methods, disputing claims of “objectivity. ” To him, research produces not “facts” but rather “objectifications” or illustrations, similar to vivid photographs, that make an argument persuasive rather than provide proof of truth claims. Others are more restrained in their criticisms. Rhoda Unger (1983), for example, admonished feminists that abandoning the tools of empiricism would mean that our insights are likely to be ignored by the rest of psychology. Many feminists find social constructionism to be the most useful perspective from which to understand gender (for a discussion, see Bohan, 1993; Hare-Mustin & Marecek, 1988). How, then to study gender-or indeed, any topic-from a sucialconstructionist perspective? Hope Landrine and her colleagues (Landrine, Klonoff, & Brown, 1992) provide a creative example in their research contrasting White and non-White women’s
Organizational Culture and Psychological Growth

Organization theorists and practitioners have long recognized intuitively that the design of technical systems influences the sociocultural dimensions of the organization. In addition, there is ample research evidence on the direct impact of the organizational system on organizational output. The study reported here explores the degree in which "sociotechnical systems architecture" influences individual psychological growth. Its major hypothesis is that a specific organizational culture, defined in terms of a specific set of values, attitudes, and behavioral norms, can contribute to the degree in which persons can actualize themselves. The research data support the hypothesis by describing two different sociotechnical systems, differentiating them in terms of their existing organizational cultures and indicating the specific cultural elements which correlate with increased psychological growth.
The Ethnic-State Perspective in International Crises: A theoretical framework applied to the Arab-Israel conflict 1947-2000

Interstate and ethnic conflicts have occurred throughout the twentieth century, but in the closing decade of the century ethnic strife has become salient. This study draws upon crisis theory and ethnicity to probe four research questions: (1) Do ethno-national actors create new issues over which states contend? (2) What is the role they play in crises? (3) Do issues and role change over time? (4) How do issues and roles affect core crisis attributes, namely gravity of threat, levels of violence, and the type of outcome in such confrontations? To explore these subjects, we define four concepts: ethnicity in crisis, ethnic-state crisis, Ethno-National Actors (ENAs), and ethnic attributes in crisis-issues and roles. We then outline a conceptual framework, spell out three postulates, and apply them to ICB data on 15 ethnic-state crises in the Arab-Israel conflict during the 1947-2000 period. Findings from these cases indicate: (1) A rise in the scope of ethnic issues, indicating a higher level of ethnic-related regional instability. (2) An increase in centrality of role ENAs play in crises. A change is also observed in the type of role they play: from an escalating one in the 1947-1973 years to a moderating posture since 1974. Postulate 1 on ethnic attributes and threat is rejected because the increase in destabilizing issues and in role centrality is not accompanied by higher gravity of threat but rather by a decrease. Postulate 2 on ethnic attributes and violence, mainly in the war category, is partly supported. Postulate 3 on ethnic attributes and outcome is supported: the increase in destabilizing issues and in role centrality is accompanied by an increase in accommodative crisis outcomes in ethnic-state crises.
Design and performance of space-time block coded hybrid ARQ schemes for multiple antenna transmission

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems is known to provide diversity and coding gain over that of a single-input single-output (SISO) system. Furthermore, automatic repeat request (ARQ) provides time diversity and improves the performance and reliability. In this paper, we propose and investigate hybrid ARQ (HARQ) scheme based on non-orthogonal space-time block codes (NOSTBC) and is using a decoding candidate list which reduces the detection/decoding complexity. Our proposed schemes are compared to orthogonal space-time block codes (OSTBC) and the obtained results show a significant performance gain when using NOSTBC-based ARQ scheme.
Artifact Lifecycle Discovery

Artifact-centric modeling is an approach for capturing business processes in terms of so-called business artifacts — key entities driving a company's operations and whose lifecycles and interactions define an overall business process. This approach has been shown to be especially suitable in the context of processes where one-to-many or many-to-many relations exist between the entities involved in the process. As a contribution towards building up a body of methods to support artifact-centric modeling, this article presents a method for automated discovery of artifact-centric process models starting from logs consisting of flat collections of event records. We decompose the problem in such a way that a wide range of existing (non-artifact-centric) automated process discovery methods can be reused in a flexible manner. The presented methods are implemented as a package for ProM, a generic open-source framework for process mining. The methods have been applied to reverse-engineer an artifact-centric process.
Bases of human-computer trust and explanations

Maintaining and enhancing the willingness of a user to interact with a technical system is crucial for human-computer interaction (HCI). Trust has shown to be an important factor influencing the frequency and kind of usage. In this paper we present our ongoing work on using explanations to maintain the trust relationship between human and computer. We describe an experiment on how different goals of explanations can be used to influence the bases of human-computer trust in a directed way. We present the results of a conducted preliminary study and outline how to improve the experiment so as to be able to include the results in an existing dialogue system.
Re-Visiting the Performance Impact of Microarchitectural Floorplanning

The present disclosure is related to a water collecting handle with a foldable sheath received therein which is engaged to the bottom of a folding umbrella. The handle is equipped with a downward movable cap that is provided with a cork-like element at the bottom thereof so that water collected in the handle can be discharged therefrom. The handle has room at the bottom thereof to receive the foldable sheath which is secured at one end to the inside of the handle and the other end thereof is opened with a pull cord attached thereto. An identification card is secured to the pull cord. When the received sheath is pulled out and extended upward to wrap the collapsed umbrella, the rain-dampened umbrella is completely enclosed in the sheath and the remaining rain water collected drip by drip in the cap.
Ballistocardiography: An Appraisal of Technic, Physiologic Principles, and Clinical Value

T HE various modalities used in the study of the heart and circulation contribute different types of information. Some, such as electrocardiography and fluoroscopic or roentgenographic study, have such broad spheres of usefulness that they are almost routinely employed. Other diagnostic procedures have not gained wide usage either because of expense of equipment, difficulty in clinical application, specialized nature and limited value of information provided, or because such information as is provided unnecessarily duplicates what may be learned in simpler fashion. It is the object of this survey to appraise the clinical usefulness of ballistocardiography, a technic which records the movements imparted to the body by the forces associated with contraction of the heart, and acceleration and deceleration of blood as it is ejected and moved in the large vessels. Parenthetically it may be remarked that the ballistocardiogram provides, in simple and routinely applicable fashion, a considerable body of useful information not otherwise obtainable; and hence fulfills the criteria of a valuable adjunct in examination of the heart.
An Item Sampling Model for the Reliability of Composite Tests

THIS paper considers three quantities which are lower bounds on the reliability coefficient-the KR20 formula, the KR21 formula (Kuder and Richardson, 1937), and Guttman’s ÀI (Guttman, 1945). Its purpose is to establish certain unifying relationships among these three quantities and some other results which follow from a model for the reliability of tests consisting of dichotomous items. First, a formulation of reliability consistent with the classical test theory model as presented by Lord and Novick (1968) will be given. A model for the sampling of dichotomous test items will be related to that formulation. Then, necessary and sufficient conditions under which the above quantities are equal to test reliability will be established and interpreted in the context of the model. These three reliability formulas turn out to be of special interest when considered together because of a symmetry underlying the conditions for their validity.
Postural strategies in normal subjects and in patients with instability due to central nervous system diseases after sudden changes in the visual flow

Conclusion. The results suggest that after a sudden change in the visual input, postural adaptation is impaired in patients with instability and central nervous system disorders (CNSD). Objective. The aim of this study was the assessment of postural adaptation, as a transient phenomenon, when sudden changes in visual perception occur in normal subjects and in patients with instability due to different CNSD. Subjects and methods. Horizontal optokinetic stimulation (40 s and suddenly stopped) was performed in 16 patients with CNSD, and also in 22 normal subjects. Measurements were made of the body center of pressure area (COP) and the body sway velocity (SV) during 10 s before and after the stop and labeling the COP trajectory. Results. Values of COP and SV (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p=0.979 and 0.496, respectively) in normal subjects did not show any significant change before and after the stop. In 15 of the 16 assessed patients with instability associated with CNSD an increase of the COP and SV values (Wilcoxon signed test, p=0.001 and 0.004, respectively) was observed in the 10 s after the visual stop. COP labeling showed ‘roaming’ of the COP spatial evolution approaching the limits of stability.
Lubavitch: A contemporary messianic movement

Abstract Failed prophecy may result in severe disillusionment for members of a religious group which, in turn, may lead to members losing their faith and leaving. However, the reverse may occur. When faced with this experience, there will be cognitive dissonance resulting in an enhanced commitment to messianic prophesy and activity. Such is the case among Lubavitcher Hasidim. When their leader whom they believe to be the Messiah died, messianic fervour and activity increased in intensity. This paper ends by speculating on the reasons for these two different outcomes.
RECOGNIZING TEACHER COMPETENCE: A CERTIFICATION PROGRAM IN TEACHING SOCIOLOGY FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

The Department of Sociology at Michigan State University has offered a certification program in teaching sociology for graduate students since 1976. This program promotes and recognizes the importance of university teaching and provides systematic preparation for such teaching. The program includes four components: teaching assistant workshop, seminar in teaching sociology, sociology teaching practicum and oral examination. The strengths and weaknesses of the program are evaluated and suggestions for improvement of the program are included.
Simple recipe for implementing computation of first-order relativistic corrections to electron correlation energies in framework of direct perturbation theory

The computation of the relativistic correction to the first order in 1rc, where c is the velocity of light, is implemented at the levels of coupled cluster and many-body perturbation theory. The relativistic correction is obtained by applying direct perturbation theory through the first order, and it is shown that its implementation is straightforward if analytical energy gradients of the methods under consideration are available. Preliminary results were obtained Ž by a numerical procedure and are reported for some closed-shell atoms He, Be, . Ž . Ne, and Ar and molecules CuH and SiH . Q 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, 4 Inc.
A parallel computing platform for training large scale neural networks

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been proved to be successfully used in a variety of pattern recognition and data mining applications. However, training ANNs on large scale datasets are both data-intensive and computation-intensive. Therefore, large scale ANNs are used with reservation for their time-consuming training to get high precision. In this paper, we present cNeural, a customized parallel computing platform to accelerate training large scale neural networks with the backpropagation algorithm. Unlike many existing parallel neural network training systems working on thousands of training samples, cNeural is designed for fast training large scale datasets with millions of training samples. To achieve this goal, firstly, cNeural adopts HBase for large scale training dataset storage and parallel loading. Secondly, it provides a parallel in-memory computing framework for fast iterative training. Third, we choose a compact, event-driven messaging communication model instead of the heartbeat polling model for instant messaging delivery. Experimental results show that the overhead time cost by data loading and messaging communication is very low in cNeural and cNeural is around 50 times faster than the solution based on Hadoop MapReduce. It also achieves nearly linear scalability and excellent load balancing.
Dendrimers as Nanocarriers for Nucleic Acid and Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy

Dendrimers are highly branched polymers with easily modifiable surfaces. This makes them promising structures for functionalization and also for conjugation with drugs and DNA/RNA. Their architecture, which can be controlled by different synthesis processes, allows the control of characteristics such as shape, size, charge, and solubility. Dendrimers have the ability to increase the solubility and bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs. The drugs can be entrapped in the intramolecular cavity of the dendrimers or conjugated to their functional groups at their surface. Nucleic acids usually form complexes with the positively charged surface of most cationic dendrimers and this approach has been extensively employed. The presence of functional groups in the dendrimer’s exterior also permits the addition of other moieties that can actively target certain diseases and improve delivery, for instance, with folate and antibodies, now widely used as tumor targeting strategies. Dendrimers have been investigated extensively in the medical field, and cancer treatment is one of the greatest areas where they have been most used. This review will consider the main types of dendrimer currently being explored and how they can be utilized as drug and gene carriers and functionalized to improve the delivery of cancer therapy.
Emotion perception and Alexithymia in people with severe traumatic brain injury: One disorder or two?: A preliminary investigation

Primary objective: Recent research studies attest to the presence of deficits in emotion perception following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Additionally, a growing number of studies report significant levels of alexithymia (disorder of emotional cognition) following TBI. This research aimed to examine the relation between the two, while assessing the influence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Design: Cross-sectional study examining levels of alexithymia, emotion perception disorders and PTSD and their association, in 20 people with severe, chronic TBI and 20 adults without brain injuries. Methods: Participants were assessed on the Toronto Alexithymia - 20 Scale, the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale and on two emotion perception tasks: matching and labelling of photos depicting the 6 basic emotions. Results: The group with TBI were impaired relative to controls when matching facial expressions. Their performance on 'fear' was especially poor. Performance on labelling was similar in pattern, although failed to reach significance. There was no association between poor performance on fear, or other negative expressions, and either PTSD or alexithymia symptoms in the TBI group. Conclusions: Alexithymia, as assessed by the TAS-20, taps a constellation of difficulties that do not appear to include difficulties with emotion perception in people with traumatic brain injuries.
Testing telecoms software with quviq QuickCheck

We present a case study in which a novel testing tool, Quviq QuickCheck, is used to test an industrial implementation of the Megaco protocol. We considered positive and negative testing and we used our developed specification to test an old version in order to estimate how useful QuickCheck could potentially be when used early in development.The results of the case study indicate that, by using Quviq QuickCheck, we would have been able to detect faults early in the development.We detected faults that had not been detected by other testing techniques. We found unclarities in the specifications and potential faults when the software is used in a different setting. The results are considered promising enough to Ericsson that they are investing in an even larger case study, this time from the beginning of the development of a new product.
Decisional Involvement

Enhancing nurse involvement in decision-making is a starting point in addressing the nursing shortage, recruitment, and retention. The purpose of this descriptive comparative secondary data analysis was to describe the level of registered nurses’ actual and preferred decisional involvement (DI) in two studies carried out during 2004 and 2010 and to describe the difference in the levels of actual and preferred DI between the 2004 study (N = 290) and the 2010 (N = 111) study in a Midwestern medical center after a new shared governance structure was implemented. In the 2004 and 2010 studies, there were statistically significant differences between actual and preferred levels of DI. A statistically significant decrease in means occurred in actual and preferred DI in 2010 as compared with that in 2004. A concerted effort must be made by nursing leaders to enhance DI, offer adequate resources, promote learning and growth, and recognize nursing contributions within a shared governance.
The Buying Impulse

What is impulse buying? Despite the marketing and lifestyle factors that encourage it today, impulse buying is not yet well understood. This is due in part to the longstanding absence of a compelling conceptualization of this distinctive type of purchasing behavior. This article reviews extant research on impulsive behavior and then introduces a new interpretation of impulse buying. Following this are the results of an exploratory study that investigates the phenomenology of consumers' impulse buying episodes. The research identifies: (1) the subjective experiences that distinguish the onset of the buying impulse, (2) how consumers cope with their impulsive urges to buy, and (3) the types of negative consequences they incur as a result of their impulsive buying.