Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Citizen Organizing in Cyberspace

This article investigates two examples ofcitizen cyber-organizing in the context ofthe literatures on social capital and organizing. It asks, What can cyber-organizations teach us about the current state of social capital? What are the implications ofcyber -organizing for the context ofpublic administration? What implications do cyber-organizations hold for the role of the public administrator? The author concludes that the continuous communication ofparticipants in cyber-organizations, as well as their transitory and informal roles and rules, their social and emotional support, and their development of a shared understanding of the issues they face function as forms of social capital that facilitate civic engagement. Furthermore, cyber-organizations add to the fragmented and fluid social and political environment confronting public administration. Finally, to realize the potential power and significance of cyberorganizing, public administrators should begin to see such organizations through a lens that is different fromthe professional orientation to interest groups that has pervaded the field. Public administrators must reimagine themselves as agents of the social bond.
Extrinsic Radio Variability of JVAS/CLASS Gravitational Lenses

We present flux ratio curves of the fold and cusp (i.e., close multiple) images of six Jodrell Bank VLA Astrometric Survey and Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey (JVAS/CLASS) gravitational lens systems. The data were obtained over a period of 8.5 months in 2001 with the Multi Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) at 5 GHz with 50 mas resolution, as part of a MERLIN Key Project. Even though the time delays between the fold and cusp images are small (≲1 day) compared to the timescale of intrinsic source variability, all six lens systems show evidence that suggests the presence of extrinsic variability. In particular, the cusp images of B2045+265—regarded as the strongest case of the violation of the cusp relation (i.e., the sum of the magnifications of the three cusp images add to zero)—show extrinsic variations in their flux ratios up to ~40% peak to peak on timescales of several months. Its low Galactic latitude of b ≈ -10° and a line of sight toward the Cygnus superbubble region suggest that Galactic scintillation is the most likely cause. The cusp images of B1422+231 at b ≈ +69° do not show strong extrinsic variability. Galactic scintillation can therefore cause significant scatter in the cusp and fold relations of some radio lens systems (up to 10% rms), even though these relations remain violated when averaged over a ≲1 yr time baseline.
Hurdles in the Pipeline: Girls and Technology Careers

If you ask most children to draw a picture of a computer scientist, you will probably get a picture of a man in a lab coat working in a cubicle. The images in these drawings reflect a problem with the way today's youth perceive technical careers. Most students do not imagine a career in the field,' and for girls, a career in technology is especially unlikely.2 When they do study technology, girls are more likely than boys to work on clerical skills, in courses that do not prepare them for careers in advanced technology fields.3 Even girls with positive experiences with computers are not inclined to study more advanced technologies.4
Vaccination with an Attenuated Mutant of Ehrlichia chaffeensis Induces Pathogen-Specific CD4+ T Cell Immunity and Protection from Tick-Transmitted Wild-Type Challenge in the Canine Host

Ehrlichia chaffeensis is a tick-borne rickettsial pathogen and the causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Transmitted by the Amblyomma americanum tick, E. chaffeensis also causes disease in several other vertebrate species including white-tailed deer and dogs. We have recently described the generation of an attenuated mutant strain of E. chaffeensis, with a mutation in the Ech_0660 gene, which is able to confer protection from secondary, intravenous-administered, wild-type E. chaffeensis infection in dogs. Here, we extend our previous results, demonstrating that vaccination with the Ech_0660 mutant protects dogs from physiologic, tick-transmitted, secondary challenge with wild-type E. chaffeensis; and describing, for the first time, the cellular and humoral immune responses induced by Ech_0660 mutant vaccination and wild-type E. chaffeensis infection in the canine host. Both vaccination and infection induced a rise in E. chaffeensis-specific antibody titers and a significant Th1 response in peripheral blood as measured by E. chaffeensis antigen-dependent CD4+ T cell proliferation and IFNγ production. Further, we describe for the first time significant IL-17 production by peripheral blood leukocytes from both Ech_0660 mutant vaccinated animals and control animals infected with wild-type E. chaffeensis, suggesting a previously unrecognized role for IL-17 and Th17 cells in the immune response to rickettsial pathogens. Our results are a critical first step towards defining the role of the immune system in vaccine-induced protection from E. chaffeensis infection in an incidental host; and confirm the potential of the attenuated mutant clone, Ech_0660, to be used as a vaccine candidate for protection against tick-transmitted E. chaffeensis infection.
Migrant visions of development: a gendered approach

In this article the current debate on migration and development is critically discussed. It will be shown that development as a multidimensional process is hardly ever conceptualised. The diversity of migration flows and patterns and the gendered structure of these processes are leading to different development visions which are hardly ever addressed or related to development. The analysis of the development visions of temporary male and female labour migrants from Bangladesh will reveal that migration experiences and the new connections and networks give rise to new identifications and development visions. The negotiations of these visions locally may initiate cultural, social and political transformations in the countries of origin, which do not necessarily correspond with the development visions articulated by other national and international actors involved. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relations of Exercise Blood Pressure Response to Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Vascular Function in the Framingham Heart Study

Background— Exercise blood pressure (BP) is an important marker of left ventricular hypertrophy, incident hypertension, and future cardiovascular events. Although impaired vascular function is hypothesized to influence the BP response during exercise, limited data exist on the association of vascular function with exercise BP in the community. Methods and Results— Framingham Offspring cohort participants (n=2115, 53% women, mean age 59 years) underwent a submaximal exercise test (first 2 stages of the Bruce protocol), applanation tonometry, and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation testing. We related exercise systolic and diastolic BP at second stage of the Bruce protocol to standard cardiovascular risk factors and to vascular function measures. In multivariable linear regression models, exercise systolic BP was positively related to age, standing BP, standing heart rate, smoking, body mass index, and the total cholesterol–to–high-density cholesterol ratio (P⩽0.01 for all). Similar associations were observed for exercise diastolic BP. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (P=0.02), central pulse pressure (P<0.0001), mean arterial pressure (P=0.04), and baseline brachial flow (P=0.002) were positively associated with exercise systolic BP, whereas flow-mediated dilation was negatively associated (P<0.001). For exercise diastolic BP, forward pressure wave amplitude was negatively related (P<0.0001), whereas mean arterial pressure was positively related (P<0.0001). Conclusions— Increased arterial stiffness and impaired endothelial function are significant correlates of a higher exercise systolic BP response. Our findings suggest that impaired vascular function may contribute to exaggerated BP responses during daily living, resulting in repetitive increments in load on the heart and vessels and increased cardiovascular disease risk.
Trait and source factors in HEXACO‐PI‐R self‐ and observer reports

We examined the joint factor structure of self‐reports and observer reports on the facet scales of the HEXACO Personality Inventory—Revised in a sample of 563 pairs of well‐acquainted persons. In separate analyses based on a targeted orthogonal rotation and on a CFA model, we identified six trait factors (representing the HEXACO dimensions) plus two source factors (representing the favourability bias of self‐reports and observer reports, respectively). All six trait factors were recovered with substantial loadings for the appropriate facet scales. The content of the self‐report and observer report source factors suggested that the former mainly involved ‘egoistic’ or ‘agentic’ biases and the latter mainly involved ‘moralistic’ or ‘communal’ biases. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adaptive E-learning System in Secondary Education

In this paper we describe an adaptive web application E-school, where students can adjust some features according to their preferences and learning style. This e-learning environment enables monitoring students progress, total time students have spent in the system, their activity on the forums, the overall achievements in lessons learned, tests performed and solutions to given projects. Personalized assistance that teacher provides in a traditional classroom is not easy to implement. Students have regular contact with teachers using e-mail tools and conversation, so teacher get mentoring role for each student. The results of exploitation of the e-learning system show positive impact in acquiring the material and improvement of studentâ? s achievements.
Using the Eye Gaze to Predict Document Reading Subjective Understanding

The traditional way to analyze the content of a document is to perform document image analysis. However, analyzing how the user perceives a document is another way to get information about the documents but also about the users. By using sensors such as eye tracker, it is possible analyze the reader's skill or the document comprehensibility. In this paper, we focus on predicting the user's understanding as it can be used as a feedback either for the author (to improve his document) or the user (to review the parts he did not understand). The eye movements of the readers are recorded by an eye tracker while they read several documents, then several features are extracted and a support vector regression system is used to predict the readers' understanding. In our experiment, 17 subjects were asked to read 19 documents for a total of 323 recordings. As a first result, we prove that the subjective understanding of the reader can be predicted more accurately by using the eye gaze than by asking a multiple choice question.
Characterization and outcome following Puumala virus infection: a retrospective analysis of 75 cases.

BACKGROUND Infection with the Puumala virus (PUUV), which belongs to the Hantavirus family, is a common but often neglected cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in endemic areas of Europe. The objective of the present study was to systematically analyse clinical presentation and renal outcomes following PUUV infection. METHODS In a retrospective study, we analysed data from 75 patients who were admitted to two large hospitals in Germany over an 8-year period and who tested positive for PUUV infection. Clinical and laboratory data were collected from patient files; creatinine levels before admission and during follow-up were obtained from phone calls. RESULTS Patients were between 16 and 82 years old (average +/- SD, 40.4 +/- 13.4) with a male to female ratio of 2.5:1. They showed a wide variety of clinical presentations with renal failure being the cause of admission in only 50%. AKI developed in 95% of patients who showed maximum creatinine levels of 4.3 +/- 0.3 mg/dl. Four patients required temporary dialysis, and one patient died from pulmonary complications. Thrombocytopaenia (137 +/- 11 x 10(3)/microl) was present in almost all cases, and elevated levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were observed in 57 and 100% of patients, respectively. Urinalysis revealed mild to nephrotic proteinuria in 85%, which was often associated with haemoglobinuria. All patients showed full recovery of renal function and return to pre-existing normal serum creatinine levels. CONCLUSION In a majority of cases, PUUV infection results in thrombocytopenic AKI. Fever is a requirement for diagnosis, while elevated LDH and CRP values are also frequently observed. Overall, early renal outcomes were excellent.
Value priorities and subjective well‐being: direct relations and congruity effects

Two studies investigated relations of value priorities to measures of subjective well-being. Samples of students and adults, from Israel and former East and West Germany (N=1261), participated in Part I. Hypothesized direct relations of nine types of values to well-being, based on ‘healthy’ values from the psychotherapy literature, relations of values to needs, self-determination theory, and the emotional resources needed to pursue various values were tested in each sample. Achievement, self-direction, stimulation, tradition, conformity and security values correlated with affective well-being, as predicted, but not with cognitive well-being. Part II tested the hypothesis that well-being depends upon congruence between personal values and the prevailing value environment. Results largely supported specific hypotheses regarding the values conducive to positive and negative well-being among students of business administration (n=40) and psychology (n=42). Hypotheses were derived from the social sanctions, environmental affordances for value attainment, and internal value conflicts likely to be experienced in each department. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Recombinant Mutant Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-C that Has Lost Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 Binding, Activation, and Vascular Permeability Activities*

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the VEGF-C promote growth of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, respectively. VEGF activates the endothelial VEGF receptors (VEGFR) 1 and 2, and VEGF-C activates VEGFR-3 and VEGFR-2. Both VEGF and VEGF-C are also potent vascular permeability factors. Here we have analyzed the receptor binding and activating properties of several cysteine mutants of VEGF-C including those (Cys156and Cys165), which in other platelet-derived growth factor/VEGF family members mediate interchain disulfide bonding. Surprisingly, we found that the recombinant mature VEGF-C in which Cys156 was replaced by a Ser residue is a selective agonist of VEGFR-3. This mutant, designated ΔNΔC156S, binds and activates VEGFR-3 but neither binds VEGFR-2 nor activates its autophosphorylation or downstream signaling to the ERK/MAPK pathway. Unlike VEGF-C, ΔNΔC156S neither induces vascular permeability in vivonor stimulates migration of bovine capillary endothelial cells in culture. These data point out the critical role of VEGFR-2-mediated signal transduction for the vascular permeability activity of VEGF-C and strongly suggest that the redundant biological effects of VEGF and VEGF-C depend on binding and activation of VEGFR-2. The ΔNΔC156S mutant may provide a valuable tool for the analysis of VEGF-C effects mediated selectively via VEGFR-3. The ability of ΔNΔC156S to form homodimers also emphasizes differences in the structural requirements for VEGF and VEGF-C dimerization.
Planning for academic excellence: tenure and professional considerations

Based on role theory suppositions, the following study explores how role stress which follows occupational insecurity influences the professional considerations of pre‐tenure faculty. In‐depth interviews were conducted with ten Israeli pre‐tenure and six tenured faculty members working at three different Israeli universities in the faculties of humanities and social sciences. The findings reflect pre‐tenure faculty’s stress, following their difficulty in determining to what extent individual professional conduct meets the institutional standards of excellence that make one eligible for tenure. Moreover, it was found that such circumstances encourage pre‐tenure faculty’s tendency to ‘play safe,’ which was evident in their inclination towards conservatism dominating their professional considerations. Conversely, tenured faculty who experience stress which results from their struggle for recognition and professional fulfilment reported they are less worried regarding their professional future, and are therefore more willing to take risks and become involved in more profound and speculative ventures. It is suggested that providing support through mentorship and periodical formative assessments are likely to make new faculty’s role stress more manageable. In addition it is argued that tenure and the security it provides is an important feature of academic life, and a major means for sustaining faculty members’ motivation to pursue new endeavours.
The Effect of Stale Ranging Data on Indoor 2-D Passive Localization

This report provides a theoretical analysis on the staleness effect in a passive localization system. The relationship is found between the position error and the velocity and the inter-arrival time of range signals. Results from the analysis make it possible to parameterize the localization system, such as the beacon deployment, required sampling rate and benchmark performance. Simulations are performed based on some trajectories generated by constant and non-constant velocity movements. The outcome of the simulation is consistent with the analysis results. The simulations show that the Linear Least Square (LSQ) has a tradeoff effect between the staleness effect and its ability to combat the range measurement noise. From the results, a scheme using LSQ and linear Kalman filter shows better performance than the extended Kalman filter scheme. Experiments in the Cricket system has verified the observations from the analysis and the simulations.
The Power of Sexuality

When considering Asian American studies as an intellectual and political tradition, the title of this article takes on a three-fold meaning. The power of sexuality names at once the pervasive discourse of sexuality within this tradition, the dialectical relations between that discourse and other structures of power, and the utility of the category "sexuality" for analysis. The field organizes a vast array of knowledge through sexuality. This is not a recent development; since the founding of the field, Asian Americanists have made sexuality part of the way they think and write about the way power is organized, exercised, and lived in the United States. However, while the economic, political, and social conditions of Asian America have changed over the past thirty years, the framework for thinking about sexuality has not. Today's Asian Americanists continue to think about sexuality in terms developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, in the writing of the Asian American movement. 1 This striking continuity is a problem for the field -a dated yet familiar politics of sexuality is both widely available in Asian American studies and dangerously unacknowledged.
A self-regulated 588 MHz buck regulator with on-chip passives and circuit stuffing in 65nm

A fully-integrated buck regulator with on-chip passives in 65nm standard CMOS technology is presented. The proposed regulator switches at 588MHz and uses a 20nH on-chip inductor and a 300pF on-chip output capacitor. It operates from 1.8V input and produces an output in the range between 0.8V to 1.2V with maximum load current of 30mA. In order to reduce the large silicon area overhead of the on-chip inductor, the proposed design employs circuit stuffing where the entire regulator's circuitry is implemented directly underneath the inductor. This includes the input and output capacitance, power train, and control circuits. Thus, the total area of the regulator becomes essentially the area of the on-chip inductor itself, which cuts the regulator's footprint by 50%. Moreover, the proposed regulator employs a self-regulation loop that improves its overall efficiency and ensures the reliability of its low-voltage power transistors while operating from a 1.8V input. The regulator occupies 0.12mm2 with a peak efficiency of 60%, and achieves up to 13.7% better efficiency than a corresponding LDO. It achieves fast settling time of 240ns for a 200mV output voltage step, and as short as 40ns for a 20mA load current step.
The effects of CTLA-4Ig on acute lung allograft rejection: a comparison of intrabronchial gene therapy with systemic administration of protein.

BACKGROUND Blockade of T-cell costimulation by local delivery of an adenoviral vector encoding for CTLA-4Ig and systemic administration of the protein are compared in a rat lung allograft model. METHODS Left lungs of Brown Norway rats (RT1n) were transplanted into Lewis (RT11) recipients in four groups of six animals each: 1) no treatment; 2) intrabronchial transduction of donor lung with adenovirus encoding mCTLA-4Ig (adeno-mCTLA-4Ig); 3) intrabronchial transduction with empty adenovirus; and 4) intraperitoneal injection of mCTLA-4Ig. Grading of rejection, mCTLA-4Ig measurement in serum and bronchial washings, RT-PCR for virally encoded transcripts, and immunohistochemistry for mCTLA-4Ig were carried out 4 days later. RESULTS Intrabronchial transduction with adeno-mCTLA-4Ig resulted in detectable transgene expression in graft tissue and bronchial fluid but not in serum. Significant reduction in rejection grade (from grade 3 to 2) occurred after systemic mCTLA-4Ig but not adeno-mCTLA-4Ig transduction. CONCLUSION Local expression of immunomodulatory proteins can be achieved within lung allografts by intrabronchial delivery of adenoviral vector but may not significantly modify acute rejection.
MAPPING QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI UNDERLYING FITNESS-RELATED TRAITS IN A FREE-LIVING SHEEP POPULATION

Abstract We searched for quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying fitness-related traits in a free-living pedigree of 588 Soay sheep in which a genetic map using 251 markers with an average spacing of 15 cM had been established previously. Traits examined included birth date and weight, considered both as maternal and offspring traits, foreleg length, hindleg length, and body weight measured on animals in August and jaw length and metacarpal length measured on cleaned skeletal material. In some cases the data were split to consider different age classes separately, yielding a total of 15 traits studied. Genetic and environmental components of phenotypic variance were estimated for each trait and, for those traits showing nonzero heritability (N=12), a QTL search was conducted by comparing a polygenic model with a model including a putative QTL. Support for a QTL at genome-wide significance was found on chromosome 11 for jaw length; suggestive QTL were found on chromosomes 2 and 5 (for birth date as a trait of the lamb), 8 (birth weight as a trait of the lamb), and 15 (adult hindleg length). We discuss the prospects for refining estimates of QTL position and effect size in the study population, and for QTL searches in free-living pedigrees in general.