Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistical characterization of multicast performance in dense wireless networks

Multicast is a fundamental service in several scenarios involving wireless multihop communications, such as in ad hoc and sensor networks. Accordingly, appropriate solutions are required that achieve resource efficiency and scalability. It is possible to state the problem of optimal multicast in dense wireless networks in the terms of the Euclidean Steiner Tree problem. This has been thoroughly studied in the past as it can be applied in several engineering scenarios. However, it is well known that the Euclidean Steiner Tree problem is NP hard and even heuristics and approximation algorithms proposed in the literature cannot be applied in distributed environments like those addressed in this paper. Accordingly, solutions should be considered in which any intermediate node in the multicast tree is responsible of building a small part of the tree itself. In this paper, a geographical multicast protocol is considered in which each intermediate node decides the direction or the directions (if it identifies the need for a fork in the tree) along which the packet should be forwarded. The main contribution of this paper is to study and characterize the statistical properties of the multicast trees that can be obtained with such distributed approach. Indeed, simulation results show that the cost of the tree can be represented by a Gaussian random variable in which the average value and the variance comply to well defined laws.
Examination of demographic factors of consumers ethnocentrism

The main aim of this research is ascertaining impact of demographic factors, i.e. age, gender, income and education on consumer ethnocentrism. Concept of consumer ethnocentrism, which represents customer's attitude to buy domestic products, plays an important role in modern business conditions, which is characterized by expressed complexity, unpredictability and uncertainty of business market. Knowing the impact of demographic factors on consumers purchasing habits can facilitate the process of creating multinational business strategy and performing the process of segmentation, targeting and positioning. Respecting the main goal of this paper, the research was conducted on the territory of Republic of Serbia on a sample of 545 respondents. Results of the research showed that there is statistic positive relation between age and consumer ethnocentrism, negative relation between income, education and consumer ethnocentrism and absence of difference in consumer ethnocentrism level between males and females.
FLOW SIMULATION AROUND A MICRO AIR VEHICLE IN A PLUME CHARACTERIZATION SCENARIO

Numerical simulation of flow around a recently developed micro air vehicle (MAV) at the University of Colorado is presented. The vehicle design is so a network of such vehicles could be used for plume characterization in urban areas. The MAV network will map out the concentration of a plume and calculation of concentration gradient will guide the network toward the source of the contamination. Computational results of the aerodynamic characteristics of the Colorado fixed wing MAV are presented. A morphing wing concept based on biomimetic of bat’s flight is proposed. The adaptive wing suggested in this study changes shape according to the flight modes and conditions - extending fully while loitering or in light winds and becoming more sweptback and flexed to cruise between locations or in stronger winds. This means that the wing is more adaptable and overall energy consumption of the vehicle will be reduced.
Software Data Masking for Showcasing Programming Skills

This study focuses on constructing a web application that functions as a data masking obfuscation tool. The application aids students, beginners, and professional developers to showcase programming projects they have produced. Being able to publicly demonstrate creativity and analytical skillsets is crucial to success in any job market. Presenting proprietary code to an unauthorized party can potentially render legal consequences and jeopardize relations with clients or employers. The goal is to transform file(s) created within an organization or by an individual into new file(s), devoid of its original keyword: variable/function/class name meanings, using data masking. The application utilizes algorithms designed to efficiently obfuscate input code without altering programming logic, returning a manipulated version of code. The manipulation will take effect on variables, functions, and class names. Despite the output result of obfuscation from the application, the logic and work put into the product can still be demonstrated.
A Study of Fast Network Self-Healing Mechanism for Distance Vector Routing Protocol

In order to improve the survivability of IP networks, this paper presents a fast self-healing mechanism for distance vector routing protocol called FS-DVP. (Fast Self-healing distance vector protocol). The mechanism can dealing with network failures effectively through the precomputed multiple feasible next hops per destination. This local rerouting scheme guarantee the forwarding continuity in the convergence period. FS-DVP suppression of its failure notification to provides better stability and reduce network overhead of message updates. Simulations performed show that FS-RIP can dealing with the simultaneous failures of multiple arbitrary links effectively and can effectively improve network stability and availability.
Nudging Pakistani users towards privacy on social networks

Social Networking Sites (SNS) have been studied extensively over the last 10 years. The area of privacy and security has always been the prominent area of research. With the exponential increase of social networking users the numbers of threats have increased alarmingly; stealing personal information has been the most common threat as the information is later used to carry out subsequent malicious activities. The vulnerabilities are exploited because majority of SNS users are usually unaware of consequences of disclosing personal information over the public forums without proper privacy measures. Unaware users usually choose weak settings and are not mindful regarding posting their personal information online. The users trust their SNS providers for providing necessary security and privacy to their data, this excessive trust and ignorance results in different degrees of privacy violations. Considering the fact that the privacy preferences of users are strongly influenced by cultural and ethnical differences, the following research was conducted to study the privacy concerns of Pakistani users and the privacy problems associated with posting on SNS. It was found that the users are keenly concerned about their privacy however, they are unable to achieve the desired privacy on SNS as a result of the lack of awareness of privacy options, inappropriate settings and the excessive time associated with configuring those settings. Based on the above observations the idea of nudging the user from behavioral science has been proposed to help people make better privacy choices and decisions on online social networks. The proposed model will nudge users while posting by calculating Privacy Score and Accessing Last Modified Privacy Settings for users which will alert users to adjust their privacy settings. The idea of Privacy Nudges will help HCI researchers to build more sophisticated and user friendly Privacy features without getting into lengthy and time consuming details of adjusting privacy settings.
Anti-apoptogenic function of TGFβ1 for human synovial cells: TGFβ1 protects cultured synovial cells from mitochondrial perturbation induced by several apoptogenic stimuli

Objective: To investigate anti-apoptogenic mechanism of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) towards synovial cells. Methods: Isolated synovial cells, treated or not with TGFβ1, were cultured in the presence or absence of anti-Fas IgM, proteasome inhibitor Z-Leu-Leu-Leu-aldehyde (LLL-CHO), etoposide, or C2-ceramide. After cultivation, apoptosis of synovial cells was examined by the presence of hypodiploid DNA+ cells, the presence of terminal deoxy (d)-UTP nick end labelling+ cells (TUNEL+ cells), activation of caspases, and disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm). Results: Activation of caspase-9 and ΔΨm was found in anti-Fas IgM treated synovial cells. The increment of both hypodiploid DNA+ cells and TUNEL+ cells accompanied by the activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3 was also determined in anti-Fas IgM treated synovial cells. These hallmarks for apoptosis induced by anti-Fas IgM were significantly suppressed in TGFβ1 treated synovial cells. LLL-CHO, etoposide, and C2-ceramide also caused ΔΨm, the increment of both hypodiploid DNA+ cells and TUNEL+ cells, and the activation of both Leu-Glu-His-Asp ase (LEHDase; caspase-9 like activity) and Asp-Glu-Val-Asp ase (DEVDase; caspase-3 like activity) in synovial cells. As determined in anti-Fas IgM treatment, TGFβ1 significantly reduced apoptotic cell death of synovial cells induced by the above chemicals. Conclusions: The protective effect of TGFβ1 for mitochondrial homoeostasis may be important in the anti-apoptogenic function of TGFβ1 for synovial cells.
Brownian motion of massive black hole binaries and the final parsec problem

Massive black hole binaries (BHBs) are expected to be one of the most powerful sources of gravitational waves in the frequency range of the pulsar timing array and of forthcoming space-borne detectors. They are believed to form in the final stages of galaxy mergers, and then harden by slingshot ejections of passing stars. However, evolution via the slingshot mechanism may be ineffective if the reservoir of interacting stars is not readily replenished, and the binary shrinking may come to a halt at roughly a parsec separation. Recent simulations suggest that the departure from spherical symmetry, naturally produced in merger remnants, leads to efficient loss cone refilling, preventing the binary from stalling. However, current N-body simulations able to accurately follow the evolution of BHBs are limited to very modest particle numbers. Brownian motion may artificially enhance the loss cone refilling rate in low-N simulations, where the binary encounters a larger population of stars due its random motion. Here we study the significance of Brownian motion of BHBs in merger remnants in the context of the final parsec problem. We simulate mergers with various particle numbers (from 8k to 1M) and with several density profiles. Moreover, we compare simulations where the BHB is fixed at the centre of the merger remnant with simulations where the BHB is free to random walk. We find that Brownian motion does not significantly affect the evolution of BHBs in simulations with particle numbers in excess of one million, and that the hardening measured in merger simulations is due to collisionless loss cone refilling.
The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Counseling Implications

Counseling Association by Dr. Garry R. Walz and Dr. Jeanne C. Bleuer of Counseling Outfitters, LLC. Its purpose is to provide a means of capturing the ideas, information and experiences generated by the annual ACA Conference and selected ACA Division Conferences. Papers on a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience may also be submitted. This digital collection of peer-reviewed articles is authored by counselors, for counselors. VISTAS Online contains the full text of over 500 proprietary counseling articles published from 2004 to present.
Teacher Collegial Groups: A Structure for Promoting Professional Dialogue Conducive to Organization Change

To improve public education we first may need to change and improve the prevalent culture of schooling. Current assessments describe school culture as lacking intellectual depth—despite the fact that Ted Sizer, a prominent school reformer, contends that the students’ intellectual growth should be the main purpose of schooling. From the organization development perspective, we might identify structures conducive to promoting professional dialogue among administrators, teachers, and students. Teacher collegial groups (TCGs) may be such a structure. In this article the co-authors define TCGs; then the principal—based on her own experience—suggests how a TCG can be implemented. The authors conclude with the principal's observations on the effect of the TCG on a school's organization culture.
Impact of Cannabis Use on Long-Term Remission in Bipolar I and Schizoaffective Disorder

Objective To investigate the impact of regular cannabis use on long-term remission of mood symptoms in bipolar spectrum disorders. Methods The 24-month prospective observational study included patients (n=239) with bipolar I disorder and schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. Participants were classified as regular cannabis users (three times or more per week) or non-users. The primary outcome measure was the achievement of remission on the evaluations during the 24 months. Results Of the 234 participants for whom data was available, 25 (10.7%) were regular cannabis users, and the group comprised significantly more males than females. In the total population, cannabis use was significantly associated with decreased likelihood of remission during the 24-month follow-up period. Subgroup analyses showed that cannabis use was significantly associated with lower remission rates on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale in females (n=139) and patients prescribed mood stabilizers alone (n=151), whereas in males (n=95) and patients prescribed olanzapine and/or a mood stabilizer (n=83), cannabis use was significantly associated with lower remission rates on the Young Mania Rating Scale. Remission rates were lowest in the concurrent cannabis and tobacco smoking group (n=22) followed by the tobacco smoking only group (n=97), and the non-smoker group (n=116). The post-hoc analysis revealed that all remission rates were significantly lower in the concurrent cannabis and the tobacco smoking group compared to the non-smoker group. Conclusion Cannabis use negatively affects the long-term clinical outcome in patients with bipolar spectrum disorders. A comprehensive assessment and integrated management of cannabis use are required to achieve better treatment outcomes for bipolar spectrum disorders.
Meanings and Applications of Structure in Networks of Dynamic Systems

This chapter reviews four notions of system structure, three of which are contextual and classic (i.e. the complete computational structure linked to a state space model, the sparsity pattern of a transfer function, and the interconnection of subsystems) and one which is relatively new (i.e. the signal structure of a system's dynamical structure function). Although each of these structural concepts apply to the nonlinear and stochastic setting, this work will focus on linear time invariant systems to distill the key concepts and make their relationships clear. We then discusses three applications of the newest structural form (the signal structure of a system's dynamical structure function): network reconstruction, vulnerability analysis, and a recent result in distributed control that guarantees the synthesis of a stabilizing controller with a specified structure or proves that no such controller exists.
Fulfilling the Transfer Mission: A Follow-Up of Miami-Dade Graduates to Upper Division. Research Report No. 87-25.

Transfer is one of Miami-Dade's major missions. Yet little current data is available for assessing the extent that this mission is being met. The last group of M-DCC graduates studied finished community college almost 15 years ago. The characteristics of M-DCC graduates have changed substantially since that time. So has the higher education system. Do the previous results still hold true? In addition, the last study was based only on the State University System, did not include private institutions either within or outside the state, included only A.A. degree recipients, and was a small sample. Therefore, as a first attempt to study the broad issue of transfer, this stud: addressed the following questions: 1. How many graduates transfer to the State University System or to private colleges within Dade County? 2. How many have attained a bachelor's degree? 3. Are there differences in enrollment and graduation based on ethnicity, gender, M-DCC campus attended, year of graduation from M-DCC, and type of degree received (A.A. or A.S.)? 4. Where are graduates enrolling for upper division work? What proportion are choosing local private institutions? This analysis is based on all M-DCC graduates who received an A.A. or an A.S. degree in 1980-81, 1981-t2, 1982-83, 1983-84, or 1984-85. Based on social security numbers, the graduates were first matched against State University System tapes from the Fall of 1981 through the Fall of 1985. In addition, information was provided by Barry University, St. Thomas, and the University of Miami. Results indicate that the transfer mission is still alive and well at Miami-Dade Community College. After five years, about 65% of the A.A. graduates, the traditional group targeted for transfer, had enrolled in
Medical complications and outcomes after hip fracture repair.

BACKGROUND Most evidence guiding perioperative medical risk management of patients undergoing hip fracture repair focuses on cardiac and thromboembolic risk. Little is known of the relative clinical importance of other complications. OBJECTIVE To systematically map incidence and outcomes of a broad spectrum of medical complications after hip fracture repair. METHODS Retrospective cohort study of patients 60 years or older in 20 academic, community, and Veterans Affairs hospitals. Data on complications and mortality were abstracted from medical records by trained abstractors using standardized, pretested forms or the National Death Index. RESULTS Of 8930 patients, 1737 (19%) had postoperative medical complications. Cardiac and pulmonary complications were most frequent (8% and 4% of patients, respectively). Similar numbers of patients had serious cardiac or pulmonary complications (2% and 3%, respectively). Other complications were gastrointestinal tract bleeding (2%), combined cardiopulmonary complications (1%), venous thromboembolism (1%), and transient ischemic attack or stroke (1%). Renal failure and septic shock were rare. After the index complication, 416 patients had 587 additional complications. Mortality was similar for serious cardiac or pulmonary complications (30 day: 22% and 17%, respectively; 1 year: 36% and 44%, respectively) and highest for patients with multiple complications (30 day: 29%-38%; 1 year: 43%-62%). Complications and death occurred significantly earlier for serious cardiac than for serious pulmonary complications (1 vs 4 days, 2 vs 8 days, P<.001); length of stay for patients surviving these complications was similar. CONCLUSIONS Most patients had no medical complications after hip fracture repair. Serious cardiac and pulmonary complications were equally important in frequency, mortality, and survivors' length of stay. Patients with multiple complications had especially poor prognosis.
Access to Basic Education in Ghana: Politics, Policies and Progress. CREATE Pathways to Access. Research Monograph No. 42.

This monograph examines the history and politics of educational reform in Ghana, focusing on the issue of access to basic education in the post-colonial period. The monograph employs data from a series of interviews conducted with senior policy-makers, implementers and researchers, as well as drawing on documentary sources, to explore the drivers and inhibitors of change at the political, bureaucratic and grass-roots levels. It describes the patterns of change in relation to enrolment and outlines the key policies adopted through from the British colonial administration to the various independent regimes, authoritarian and democratic. Progress in universalising access has been substantial and basic education indicators in Ghana, both in early post-colonial times and today, stand out positively when compared to most countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The study explores the nature of the domestic political and administrative machinery which has enabled comparative success in enrolment growth in Ghana, attending also to the importance of political will as well as to shifting patterns of international and donor influence. The study draws out key tensions in education policy making, including tensions between the goals of access, equity, quality and relevance; those between academic and vocational orientations; those between elite and popular interests and those between political and technical imperatives. The processes of reform begun by the Kwapong and Dzobo committees and continued through to the fCUBE policy are examined in detail and the underlying aims and objectives of these processes are shown to share a number of common although sometimes mutually conflicting features. Interview data allow a nuanced interpretation of both impetus and resistance to policy formulation and implementation. The reforms of 1987 are shown to be critical in the development of the universal basic education policies that emerged subsequently and those later policies are considered partly as responses to unrealised objectives from 1987. Following the restoration of democratic government in Ghana, the establishment of a constitutional commitment to universal basic education in 1992 provided a lasting and binding responsibility for the state, which was followed by a comprehensive policy in fCUBE. Subsequently education policy has played an important role in political manifesto pledges. The monograph concludes by considering the election pledges of the 2008 Ghana Government, their provenance and initial indications of their implementation and finally summarises its findings on progress and on the importance of policy, regime, political will, and the drivers and inhibitors of reform implementation in relation to the pursuit of basic education for all in historical perspective.
Competition Between Synaptic Depression and Facilitation in Attractor Neural Networks

We study the effect of competition between short-term synaptic depression and facilitation on the dynamic properties of attractor neural networks, using Monte Carlo simulation and a mean-field analysis. Depending on the balance of depression, facilitation, and the underlying noise, the network displays different behaviors, including associative memory and switching of activity between different attractors. We conclude that synaptic facilitation enhances the attractor instability in a way that (1) intensifies the system adaptability to external stimuli, which is in agreement with experiments, and (2) favors the retrieval of information with less error during short time intervals.