Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Day in the Life of a Male College Athlete: A Public Perception and Qualitative Campus Investigation

Perceptual confirmation paradigm (PCP) rooted in social psychology, can be implemented to frame sport science research questions (Stone, Perry, & Darley, 1997). Public perception of college athletes’ lives has been scarcely investigated in the sport sciences (Keels, 2005) using the PCP to prime stereotypes. The purpose of this study was to prime stereotypes about a day in the life of a college athlete by using qualitative inquiry to assess college students’ (N = 87) perceptions. Participants provided written responses about a day in the life of a college athlete. Two different college athlete targets were used “Tyrone Walker” (n = 44) and “Erik Walker” (n = 43). Four major themes and one minor theme emerged which are descriptive of the participants’ perceptions. Findings were related to the leadership responsibilities of sport management practitioners in higher education. Future research inquiries and relevant suggestions were articulated for sport management scholars in the 21st century.
BRAF mutations distinguish anorectal from cutaneous melanoma at the molecular level.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Anorectal melanoma (AM) is a rare but highly malignant tumor, displaying histologic and immunohistochemical features very similar to cutaneous melanoma (CM). Because BRAF mutations were recently identified in the majority of CM and nevi, we investigated AM for BRAF mutations and mutations of NRAS , an additional component of the MAPK-signalling pathway. METHODS DNA from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded AM was PCR amplified and sequenced. RESULTS We detected BRAF mutations in 2 of 19 cases and NRAS mutations in none of the cases. Mutations in exon 15 of BRAF were present in only 1 tumor (1 of 19 cases). The A1800T base exchange represented a novel mutation and resulted in a K600N transition in an AM from a 96-year-old white man who presented with rectal bleeding and painful sitting of a few weeks' duration. The second positive AM case, a 69-year-old white man who presented with painless rectal bleeding and clinical symptoms of an intestinal constipation showed a novel missense mutation (C1327T leading to R443W conversion) in BRAF exon 11. None of the AM cases displayed the oncogenic V599E mutation preponderating in CM. CONCLUSIONS With regard to the frequency of V599E BRAF mutations, AM significantly differs from CM (P < or = .0001), which suggests that BRAF mutations distinguish anorectal from cutaneous melanoma at the molecular level.
Hand bone loss measured by digital X-ray radiogrammetry is a predictor of joint damage in early rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether loss of bone measured by digital X-ray radiogrammetry (DXR) of hands early in the course of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may predict future radiographic joint damage after 1 and 2 years. Methods: A total of 166 patients with early RA, who were part of the Better Anti-Rheumatic FarmacOTherapy (BARFOT) low-dose prednisolone study, were included. The patients had been randomized to treatment with 7.5 mg prednisolone daily or no prednisolone when they started with their first disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy. Radiographs of hands and feet were taken at baseline and after 1 and 2 years and assessed by the van der Heijde modified Sharp (vdH-S) score. Hand bone density (HBD) was measured on the same radiographs by DXR. Changes in HBD and hand bone loss (HBL) were calculated. HBL was defined as a change in DXR bone mineral density (DXR-BMD) during the first year by more than 0.0048 g/cm2. Results: HBL was found in 64% of the patients. Patients with HBL had radiological progression significantly more often than patients without (80% vs. 57%, p=0.012). Patients not treated with prednisolone had HBL more often than patients with this treatment (83% vs. 44%, p=0.001). In multiple regression analyses, HBL and change in DXR-BMD during the first year proved to be independent predictors of radiological progression. Conclusions: Loss of bone measured by DXR was found to be an independent predictor of radiological joint damage and may thus be an additional tool in the process of treatment decision in early RA.
Consumption of Multiple Concurrent Identities: the need from the instant messaging virtual community

In recent years, Instant Messaging (IM) has become one of the most growing online communities, reaching millions of users at home and at work worldwide. As the community expands, assuming more than one identity at the same time becomes a common behaviour of IM users. This paper reports our ongoing research on support for multiple concurrent identities (MCI’s). Our study used an online survey and face-to-face interviews to identify user needs in supporting MCI’s in IM. The study has identified five themes including single nickname, multiple avatars, multiple statuses, boundary control and interoperability. Reflecting on these themes, we propose a framework of MCI support in IM.
Children tell stories

SUMMARY In a modern society with many possibilities people can get a feeling of insecurity and irresolution. Modern society is characterised by a seemingly unlimited array of possibilities and choices. For some people, however, these ever-widening horizons bring increased feelings of insecurity and irresolution. Here storytelling might be a genuine human way to express experiences in order to understand oneself and others' behaviour (Polkinghorne, 1988). During the last decade storytelling has taken a position in cultural life, as well as in education. Thus in a period of three years a Nordic cultural project - The Storyride Project - supporting children as storytellers was carried out in numerous pre-schools in all of the Nordic countries. Simultaneously with the cultural and developmental work, a Danish research project on children's stories was implemented. Using Sutton-Smith (1981), Maranda & Maranda (1970), and Vladimir Propp's (1968) concepts, 359 stories were analysed, and some typical patterns were described. Not surprisingly, the Danish research showed an association between age and the complexity of the structure of the story. However a large percentage of children as young as 5–7 years were able to tell a genuine story. The research also pointed out some typical gender differences. By reading children's stories, adults gain access to children's world.
A calibration free analytical solution to image points path planning that ensures visibility

This work deals with trajectory planning for image based eye-in-hand visual servoing applications. Trajectories for extracted feature points of a target object are computed directly in the projective image space such that they are compatible with rigid body displacements. To this end, one separately parameterizes for: (a) the collineation with respect to the plane at infinity (which can be viewed as a projective representation of the rotation); and (b) the projective representation of the translation. Parameterizing the collineation by the use of decomposition into its canonical form provides an easy way to plan for a geodesic displacement. Furthermore, different strategies are proposed to interpolate for the translation path. As a result, the most advanced strategy guarantees, by the use of a simple analytic criterion, that the points remain visible during the whole path. The method requires in general nothing more than the initial and final images and does not depend on intrinsic camera parameters.
Final results of a randomized phase III trial of sequential high-dose methotrexate, fluorouracil, and doxorubicin versus etoposide, leucovorin, and fluorouracil versus infusional fluorouracil and cisplatin in advanced gastric cancer: A trial of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of

PURPOSE To compare the efficacy and tolerability of etoposide, leucovorin, and bolus fluorouracil (ELF) or infusional fluorouracil plus cisplatin (FUP) with that of the reference protocol of fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and methotrexate (FAMTX) in advanced gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 399 patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach were randomized and analyzed for toxicity, tumor response, and progression-free and overall survival. Only reviewed and confirmed responses were considered. The analysis of remission was based on assessable patients with documented measurable lesions. The intent-to-treat principle, log-rank test, and Cox regression model were used for the statistical analysis of time-to-event end points. RESULTS The overall response rate for 245 eligible patients with measurable disease was 9% with ELF, 20% with FUP, and 12% with FAMTX, with no significant differences. One hundred twelve patients were eligible for efficacy in assessable, nonmeasurable disease. No change was observed in 66% of patients treated with ELF, 56% with FUP, and 55% with FAMTX. Two patients achieved a complete tumor regression (one each for ELF and FAMTX). With a median follow-up time of 4.5 years, the median survival times were 7.2 months with ELF, 7.2 months with FUP, and 6.7 months with FAMTX, respectively, with no significant differences. Nonhematologic and hematologic toxicities of ELF, FUP, and FAMTX were acceptable, with neutropenia being the major toxicity for all three regimens. Seven treatment-related deaths occurred (two with FUP and five with FAMTX). CONCLUSION All three investigated regimens demonstrate modest clinical efficacy and should not be regarded as standard treatment for advanced gastric cancer. New strategies should be considered to achieve a better clinical efficacy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer.
Performance comparison of transfer switch topologies in switched-doubly-fed machine drives

Switched doubly-fed machines (DFM) creates variable speed drives with reduced power electronics requirements compared to shaft power, and with the additional benefit of controllable stator power factor. A solid-state transfer switch is a critical component of a switched-DFM drive that not only allows seamless shaft control across the full speed range but also permits effective grid interaction. This paper presents and compares two transfer switch topologies - twelve-thyristor-based and eight-thyristor-based that reconfigures the DFM connections on-the-fly with different shaft torque-speed demands. Reducing the number of thyristors allows the operation of the DFM with lesser commutation constraints. Appropriate control input is derived that maximizes the damping of the stator flux during the mode transition.
Performance and cost analysis of the Supernova factory on the Amazon AWS cloud

Today, our picture of the Universe radically differs from that of just over a decade ago. We now know that the Universe is not only expanding as Hubble discovered in 1929, but that the rate of expansion is accelerating, propelled by mysterious new physics dubbed “Dark Energy”. This revolutionary discovery was made by comparing the brightness of nearby Type Ia supernovae (which exploded in the past billion years) to that of much more distant ones (from up to seven billion years ago). The reliability of this comparison hinges upon a very detailed understanding of the physics of the nearby events. To further this understanding, the Nearby Supernova Factory (SNfactory) relies upon a complex pipeline of serial processes that execute various image processing algorithms in parallel on ~10 TBs of data. This pipeline traditionally runs on a local cluster. Cloud computing [Above the clouds: a Berkeley view of cloud computing, Technical Report UCB/EECS-2009-28, University of California, 2009] offers many features that make it an attractive alternative. The ability to completely control the software environment in a cloud is appealing when dealing with a community developed science pipeline with many unique library and platform requirements. In this context we study the feasibility of porting the SNfactory pipeline to the Amazon Web Services environment. Specifically we: describe the tool set we developed to manage a virtual cluster on Amazon EC2, explore the various design options available for application data placement, and offer detailed performance results and lessons learned from each of the above design options.
Motivation and Engagement in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and China

This study explored motivation and engagement among North American (the United States and Canada; n = 1,540), U.K. (n = 1,558), Australian (n = 2,283), and Chinese (n = 3,753) secondary school students. Motivation and engagement were assessed via students’ responses to the Motivation and Engagement Scale–High School (MES–HS). Confirmatory factor analysis using Mplus found good fit for each of the four samples. Multi-group invariance tests demonstrated comparable factor structure, reliability, distributional properties, and correlations with a set of validational factors across the four groups. Results hold implications for international assessment of motivation and engagement, research, and data analysis.
Protein Synthesis Inhibition Activity by Strawberry Tissue Protein Extracts during Plant Life Cycle and under Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs), enzymes that are widely distributed in the plant kingdom, inhibit protein synthesis by depurinating rRNA and many other polynucleotidic substrates. Although RIPs show antiviral, antifungal, and insecticidal activities, their biological and physiological roles are not completely understood. Additionally, it has been described that RIP expression is augmented under stressful conditions. In this study, we evaluated protein synthesis inhibition activity in partially purified basic proteins (hereafter referred to as RIP activity) from tissue extracts of Fragaria × ananassa (strawberry) cultivars with low (Dora) and high (Record) tolerance to root pathogens and fructification stress. Association between the presence of RIP activity and the crop management (organic or integrated soil), growth stage (quiescence, flowering, and fructification), and exogenous stress (drought) were investigated. RIP activity was found in every tissue tested (roots, rhizomes, leaves, buds, flowers, and fruits) and under each tested condition. However, significant differences in RIP distribution were observed depending on the soil and growth stage, and an increase in RIP activity was found in the leaves of drought-stressed plants. These results suggest that RIP expression and activity could represent a response mechanism against biotic and abiotic stresses and could be a useful tool in selecting stress-resistant strawberry genotypes.
Time of Arrival Data Fusion for Source Localization

The paper presents two sensor fusion algorithms that were utilized in a wireless sensor network-based acoustic countersniper system. The technique for fusing muzzle blast Time Of Arrival (TOA) data is able to eliminate multipath effects prevalent in urban environments and to resolve multiple simultaneous acoustic sources. The approach for fusing shockwave TOA data that are generated by supersonic projectiles is able to reconstruct the trajectory with an accuracy of 1 degree in both azimuth and elevation for long range shots. If a few muzzle blast detections are also available then accurate range estimation is also performed. The system performance was demonstrated multiple times at different MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) facilities of the US Army.
Consideration of Culture and Context in School-Wide Positive Behavior Support

A review of the literature related to culture and student behavior reveals a number of interesting observations that are not surprising. First, culture is a difficult construct to define and has been defined variably over the years. Second, schools are becoming increasingly diverse, and evidence-based behavior management practices have been implemented with varied levels of integrity and varied outcomes. Third, students who spend more time outside the classroom because of disciplinary consequences are at increased risk for negative outcomes, such as diminished academic identity, deficient academic skills, and higher attrition. The school-wide positive behavior supports (SWPBS) framework has been implemented in numerous settings with student populations representing a variety of cultures. A literature review and concept article were developed concurrently and were found to inform each other. In this study, a review of existing literature on culturally and contextually relevant strategies for behavior management in schools was conducted. Based on this review, general recommendations are presented for practitioners, personnel preparers, policy makers, and researchers, especially, in the context of implementing SWPBS.
Node Level Primitives for Exact Inference using GPGPU

Exact inference is a key problem in exploring probabilistic graphical models in a variety of multimedia applications. In performing exact inference, a series of computations known as node level primitives are performed between the potential tables in cliques and separators of a given junction tree. The computation complexity increases dramatically with the clique width and the number of states of random variables. In this paper, we propose a conflict-free data layout for potential tables on GPU. We map the algorithms for the primitives to the GPU architecture based on the proposed data layout. Several optimization techniques are presented to improve the performance. We implemented the proposed method on NVIDIA Tesla C870. Experimental results exhibit scalability over a wide range and show superior performance compared with state-of-the-art multicore CPUs such as Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron. Keywords-Node level primitives,GPGPU,Exact inference
A three-dimensional approach to parallel matrix multiplication

A three-dimensional (3D) matrix multiplication algorithm for massively parallel processing systems is presented. The P processors are configured as a "virtual" processing cube with dimensions p^, p^, and p^ proportional to the matrices' dimensions—M, N, and K. Each processor performs a single local matrix multiplication of size Mlp^ x Nlp^ x Klp^. Before the local computation can be carried out, each subcube must receive a single submatrix of A and S. After the single matrix multiplication has completed, Klp^ submatrices of this product must be sent to their respective destination processors and then summed together with the resulting matrix C. The 3D parallel matrix multiplication approach has a factor of P *̂ less communication than the 2D parallel algorithms. This algorithm has been implemented on IBM POWERparallelTM SP2TM systems (up to 216 nodes) and has yielded close to the peak performance of the machine. The algorithm has been combined with Winograd's variant of Strassen's algorithm to achieve performance which exceeds the theoretical peak of the system. (We assume the MFLOPS rate of matrix multiplication to be 2MNK.)
Smokescreen or Opening a Can of Worms? Workplace HIV/AIDS Peer Education and Social Protection in South Africa

The HIV/AIDS epidemic threatens amongst other things social protection provided in the workplace. Social protection comprises a range of rights and responsibilities that afford security to workers and their dependants. Any increase in diseases that impact on working age adults will have a detrimental affect on the levels of social protection that can be afforded. Additionally Rosen and Simon (2003) have suggested that private sector companies are shifting the burden of the disease by means of inter alia atypical employment forms and the capping of employee benefits. Such responses both reduce the overall level of social protection and increase differentials between core and peripheral workers within companies. Alongside any shifting of the burden of HIV/AIDS South African companies are actively implementing workplace HIV/AIDS programmes. These involve a number of components including HIV/AIDS peer educators who form a frontline of advice and support for workers. Drawing on research in five large South African companies this article assesses the activities of workplace peer educators (PE) and how this might impact on social protection in the workplace. (excerpt)
Development of a Brief Survey on Colon Cancer Screening Knowledge and Attitudes Among Veterans

Introduction Poor knowledge of and negative attitudes toward available screening tests may account in part for colorectal cancer screening rates being the lowest among 17 quality measures reported for the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system, the largest integrated health system in the United States. The purpose of this study was to develop a brief assessment tool to evaluate knowledge and attitudes among veterans toward colorectal cancer screening options. Methods A 44-item questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about colorectal cancer and screening and was then administered as part of an ongoing randomized controlled trial among 388 veterans receiving care in a general medicine clinic. Sixteen candidate items on colorectal cancer knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs were selected for further evaluation using principal components analysis. Two sets of items were then further analyzed. Results Because the Cronbach α for beliefs was low (α = 0.06), the beliefs subscale was deleted from further consideration. The final scale consisted of seven items: a four-item attitude subscale (α = 0.73) and a three-item knowledge subscale (α = 0.59). Twelve-month follow-up data were used to evaluate predictive validity; improved knowledge and attitudes were significantly associated with completion of flexible sigmoidoscopy (P = .004) and completion of either flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy (P = .02). Conclusion The two-factor scale offers a parsimonious and reliable measure of colorectal cancer screening knowledge and attitudes among veterans. This colorectal Cancer Screening Survey (CSS) may especially be useful as an evaluative tool in developing and testing of interventions designed to improve screening rates within this population.
Designing Learning Through Learning to Design

This paper represents a conversation between a high school science teacher and a university researcher as they found common ground in the theory and experiences of designing powerful learning experiences. The teacher describes an instructional unit in which students designed a complex, interactive display showing what life may have been like during the Mesozoic Era. The researcher offers analysis of that activity through the lens of design and design-based learning. Their voices intentionally co-mingle as they illuminate aspects of one another's work – the pedagogical work of the teacher, and the theoretical analysis of the researcher. The conversation provides useful insight for teachers wishing to employ design-based learning in their classrooms and an important analytic lens for researchers to view teaching and learning.