Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Political orientation and images of the United States in Italy

Image theory was used in this study to assess the images that Italian adults with different political ideologies have of the United States. In addition to the ally, barbarian, enemy, and imperialist images, a new image, that of the father, was introduced. It was found that right-wing respondents endorsed the father and ally images of Americans, while left-wing respondents perceived Americans as barbarians. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
An Exploration of Noncredit Community College Enrollment

Abstract Nearly 40% of all public community college enrollment is in noncredit courses. While there have been several recent reports on the noncredit function at community colleges, little has been done in terms of large-scale studies and/or statewide analyses on this population. The purpose of this study was to explore one state's community college noncredit student data to identify course types, relationships with demographics, and multi-term enrollment patterns. The authors employed a Cramer's V to identify relationships between enrollment by course type and demographics and conducted a multi-term course analysis on a sample of 122,886 noncredit student records.
The effects of dc current polarization on cochlear harmonics.

The effects of dc polarization of the cochlear partition were observed on harmonic distortion components in microphonics. The qualitative effects of negative polarization (scala vestibuli negative) were quite consistent and similar to those observed in the polarization of intermodulation distortion components. The effects of positive polarization were much more variable, but the general trends of the data suggest that when the stimulus is presented below 85–95 dB SPL, the harmonic distortion output is enhanced by both positive and negative polarizing currents. At higher intensities, these components behave much as the fundamental microphonic component. These results have been interpreted as indications that electromechanical and hydromechanical nonlinearities, respectively, dominate the distortion process over low‐ and high‐intensity ranges.
Knowledge Workers: Organizational Climate and Motivation

This study investigated the correlations between the motivation of knowledge workers and their perceived organizational climate, in the light of Korman's theory which relates motivational processes and organizational behaviour to organizational environment. 21 knowledge workers with professional, technical, or managerial functions from 9 different organizations responded to Organizational Climate Questionnaire, Manifest Need Questionnaire, an individual brain-storming measure, and an aggression scale. Pearson's rs (.36–.53) between motivations and dimensions of organizational climate did not support Korman's theory that the motives of achievement, aggression, and creativity develop in the same kinds of organizational environment. The implications for research were discussed.
Evidence for the use of information about internal events to improve the accuracy of causal reports

There are many sources of information that people can use to improve the accuracy of reports about causal relationships between stimuli and their own responses. Several experiments have been carried out to discover whether internal events between stimulus and response might be one of these, but none has so far succeeded in controlling for all other possible sources of accurate report. A study is reported here in which an attempt was made to achieve this by comparing a group of subjects making reports immediately after some response with a group making reports after a substantial delay. Evidence for report accuracy attributable to information about internal events between stimulus and response was found. Theoretical implications remain unclear, however.
X‐ray Crystallographic and Fluorometric Analysis of the Interactions of Rhein to Human Serum Albumin

To investigate the interactions between natural drugs and human serum albumin (HSA), we performed fluorescence spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography to gain insight into binding mechanism and behaviour of rhein to HSA. Our fluorescence results demonstrated that rhein strongly binds with HSA, and other compounds may affect binding affinity of rhein to different extent. Structural analysis revealed that rhein binds to the IIA subdomain of HSA. The carboxylate group of rhein forms hydrogen bonds with Arg218 and Lys199, as well as a salt bond with Arg222. Hydroxyl group (4) of rhein forms a hydrogen bond with His242, and hydroxyl group (5) of rhein forms a hydrogen bond with Arg257. Oxygen atom (7) of rhein forms a hydrogen bond with Arg222, and oxygen atom (6) of rhein forms a hydrogen bond with H2O. Furthermore, hydroxyl group (4) of rhein also forms a hydrogen bond with H2O. Our results reveal the biochemical and structural characteristics of the interaction between rhein and HSA, providing guidance for future development of rhein‐based compounds and a drug–HSA delivery system.
Multi-scale population and mobility estimation with geo-tagged Tweets

Recent outbreaks of Ebola and Dengue viruses have again elevated the significance of the capability to quickly predict disease spread in an emergent situation. However, existing approaches usually rely heavily on the time-consuming census processes, or the privacy-sensitive call logs, leading to their unresponsive nature when facing the abruptly changing dynamics in the event of an outbreak. In this paper we study the feasibility of using large-scale Twitter data as a proxy of human mobility to model and predict disease spread. We report that for Australia, Twitter users' distribution correlates well the census-based population distribution, and that the Twitter users' travel patterns appear to loosely follow the gravity law at multiple scales of geographic distances, i.e. national level, state level and metropolitan level. The radiation model is also evaluated on this dataset though it has shown inferior fitness as a result of Australia's sparse population and large landmass. The outcomes of the study form the cornerstones for future work towards a model-based, responsive prediction method from Twitter data for disease spread.
Processing for the MIPSGAL 24 μm Survey of the Inner Galactic Plane

We describe improvements to the data processing pipeline for the Spitzer MIPSGAL survey of the Galactic plane. These involve both improvements to the processing of the 24 μm data, in particular the handling of saturations and near-saturated data, and mitigation of various artifacts not corrected in the basic calibration pipeline. The artifacts addressed postpipeline are typically caused by passage across bright point sources very common in the Galactic plane, and include column-to-column “jailbar” striping, latency effects resulting in both short-duration afterimages and long-duration responsivity depressions, scattered light, and background-level mismatches. We describe the artifacts phenomenologically and present in detail the algorithms developed to correct them.
The Structure of the RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase of a Permutotetravirus Suggests a Link between Primer-Dependent and Primer-Independent Polymerases

Thosea asigna virus (TaV), an insect virus belonging to the Permutatetraviridae family, has a positive-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) genome with two overlapping open reading frames, encoding for the replicase and capsid proteins. The particular TaV replicase includes a structurally unique RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) with a sequence permutation in the palm sub-domain, where the active site is anchored. This non-canonical arrangement of the RdRP palm is also found in double-stranded RNA viruses of the Birnaviridae family. Both virus families also share a conserved VPg sequence motif at the polymerase N-terminus which in birnaviruses appears to be used to covalently link a fraction of the replicase molecules to the 5’-end of the genomic segments. Birnavirus VPgs are presumed to be used as primers for replication initiation. Here we have solved the crystal structure of the TaV RdRP, the first non-canonical RdRP of a ssRNA virus, in its apo- form and bound to different substrates. The enzyme arranges as a stable dimer maintained by mutual interactions between the active site cleft of one molecule and the flexible N-terminal tail of the symmetrically related RdRP. The latter, partially mimicking the RNA template backbone, is involved in regulating the polymerization activity. As expected from previous sequence-based bioinformatics predictions, the overall architecture of the TaV enzyme shows important resemblances with birnavirus polymerases. In addition, structural comparisons and biochemical analyses reveal unexpected similarities between the TaV RdRP and those of Flaviviruses. In particular, a long loop protruding from the thumb domain towards the central enzyme cavity appears to act as a platform for de novo initiation of RNA replication. Our findings strongly suggest an unexpected evolutionary relationship between the RdRPs encoded by these distant ssRNA virus groups.
Quantitatively Modeling Application Resilience with the Data Vulnerability Factor

Recent strategies to improve the observable resilience of applications require the ability to classify vulnerabilities of individual components (e.g., Data structures, instructions) of an application, and then, selectively apply protection mechanisms to its critical components. To facilitate this vulnerability classification, it is important to have accurate, quantitative techniques that can be applied uniformly and automatically across real-world applications. Traditional methods cannot effectively quantify vulnerability, because they lack a holistic view to examine system resilience, and come with prohibitive evaluation costs. In this paper, we introduce a data-driven, practical methodology to analyze these application vulnerabilities using a novel resilience metric: the data vulnerability factor (DVF). DVF integrates knowledge from both the application and target hardware into the calculation. To calculate DVF, we extend a performance modeling language to provide a structured, fast modeling solution. We evaluate our methodology on six representative computational kernels, we demonstrate the significance of DVF by quantifying the impact of algorithm optimization on vulnerability, and by quantifying the effectiveness of specific hardware protection mechanisms.
Financial Accounting Knowledge, Conceptual Framework Projects and the Social Construction of the Accounting Profession

According to most authors, a body of (formal) knowledge is the crucial trait of professions. It is the presumed existence of this knowledge which legitimises claims to expertise, professional powers, autonomy and control over work. The body of knowledge around which the financial accounting professionalisation project has taken place is described and it is shown that professionalisation took place around a variety of personal qualities, such as honesty, independence and respectability – skills not specific to “accountants”, such as penmanship, arithmetic, work and knowledge, which at the time were contestable as being the domain of the legal profession. It is suggested that (not unlike other professions), the knowledge foundations of the accounting profession are problematic and so in order to reproduce and advance the accounting profession, members must counteract threats to its legitimacy stemming from its underlying knowledge foundations. It is also suggested that the frequently repeated search for a conceptual framework represents a means of counteracting this threat to the social legitimacy of the accounting profession, and that conceptual framework projects are used as a political resource in the profession‐alisation struggle during times of possible intervention by the state and at times of competition from other (including accounting) groups.
Online story scheduling in web advertising

We study an online job scheduling problem motivated by storyboarding in web advertising, where an advertiser derives value from uninterrupted sequential access to a user surfing the web. The user ceases to browse with probability 1 -- β at each step, independently. Stories (jobs) arrive online; job s has length ls and per-unit value vs. A value vs is obtained for every unit of the job that is scheduled consecutively without interruption, discounted for the time at which it is scheduled. Jobs can be preempted, but no further value can be derived from the residual unscheduled units of the job. We seek an online algorithm whose total reward is competitive against that of the offline scheduler that knows all jobs in advance. We consider two models based on the maximum delay that can be allowed between the arrival and scheduling of a job. In the first, a job can be scheduled anytime after its arrival; in the second a job is lost unless scheduled immediately upon arrival, preempting a currently running job if needed. The two settings correspond to two natural models of how long an advertiser retains interest in a relevant user. We show that there is, in fact, a sharp separation between what an online scheduler can achieve in these two settings. In the first setting with no deadlines, we give a natural deterministic algorithm with a constant competitive ratio against the offline scheduler. In contrast, we show that in the sharp deadline setting, no (deterministic or randomized) online algorithm can achieve better than a polylogarithmic ratio.
The cost of pressure ulcers in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE To provide an estimate of the costs of treating pressure ulcers in the UK at August 2011 prices, as a means of highlighting the importance of pressure ulcer prevention. METHOD Resource use was derived from a bottom-up methodology, based on the daily resources required to deliver protocols of care reflecting good clinical practice, with prices reflecting costs to the health and social care system in the UK. This approach was used to estimate treatment costs per episode of care and per patient for ulcers of different severity and level of complications. RESULTS The cost of treating a pressure ulcer varies from £1,214 (category 1) to £14,108 (category IV). Costs increase with ulcer severity because the time to heal is longer and the incidence of complications is higher in more severe cases. CONCLUSION Pressure ulcers represent a significant cost burden in the UK, both to patients and to health-care providers. Without concerted effort, this cost is likely to increase in the future as the population ages. The estimates reported here provide a basis for assessment of the cost-effectiveness of measures to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired ulcers. DECLARATION OF INTEREST Heron Evidence Development Ltd. was funded for this work by Mölnlycke Health Care (UK). The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.
Digital system for low power wireless neural recording system

In this paper, a digital system is proposed for 100-channel low power wireless neural recording system which consists of 100 amplifiers, 10 multiplexers, 10 analog-to-digital converters (ADC), digital baseband and RF transceiver for data link and command link. The proposed system is designed in a 0.18 μm CMOS process and the total power of the digital system of two chips is approximate 800 μW with supplying by 1.8V voltage.
Optimal Conditions of Transplantable Binary Polyelectrolyte Microcapsules

Abstract: Binary polyanion/oligocation microcapsules, prepared in a one‐step process, are proposed as an alternative to the common alginate/poly‐l‐lysine system used in bioencapsulation technology. The model system is based on natural polysaccharides and involves the anionic sodium alginate, or iota‐carrageenan, complexed with cationic oligochitosan. This system has been characterized with respect to capsule formation, mechanical strength, and permeability. This paper provides a general description of the influence of the most pronounced parameters that can be used as a tool to modulate the properties of binary microcapsules. These parameters have been separated into two categories. The first, which includes molar mass of polyanion, pH, ionic strength, and concentration of both polyelectrolytes, can be used to simultaneously control capsule mechanical and structural properties. The second set, molar mass of polyanion and reaction time, influences only mechanical resistance without altering membrane permeability. Additional issues related to mechanical stability and the possible change of capsule properties following transplantation are discussed.
Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge

Research in the area of educational technology has often been critiqued for a lack of theoretical grounding. In this article we propose a conceptual framework for educational technology by building on Shulman’s formulation of ‘‘pedagogical content knowledge’’ and extend it to the phenomenon of teachers integrating technology into their pedagogy. This framework is the result of 5 years of work on a program of research focused on teacher professional development and faculty development in higher education. It attempts to capture some of the essential qualities of teacher knowledge required for technology integration in teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted, and situated nature of this knowledge. We argue, brieﬂy, that thoughtful pedagogical uses of technology require the development of a complex, situated form of knowledge that we call Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). In doing so, we posit the complex roles of, and interplay among, three main components of learning environments: content, pedagogy, and technology. We argue that this model has much to offer to discussions of technology integration at multiple levels: theoretical, pedagogical, and methodological. In this article, we describe the theory behind our framework, provide examples of our teaching approach based upon the framework, and illustrate the methodological contributions that have resulted from this work.
Distinct breakfast patterns on satiety perception in individuals with weight excess

ABSTRACT Objectives : Western dietary pattern predisposes to weight gain, insulin resistance and cardiometabolic diseases. Promoting satiety via modifications in diet composition could be useful to fight weight gain. Mediterranean diet which is recognized to be cardioprotective contains high fiber and unsaturated fat contents. We compared the effects of distinct breakfast patterns on satiety of individuals at cardiometabolic risk, and examined the correlation of satiety level after each breakfast intervention period with glucose parameters. Materials and methods : In this 10-week cross-over clinical trial, 54 individuals with weight excess were submitted to 2 types of 4-week isocaloric breakfasts (2-week washout), one typically Brazilian and a modified one, differing concerning fiber and types of fatty acids contents. Clinical data were collected before and after each breakfast. A satiety scale was applied at fasting and 10, 30 and 120’ after breakfast consumption. Repeated measures ANOVA, Student t test or non-parametric correspondents were used; correlations were tested by Pearson or Spearman coefficients. Results : Anthropometric variations after breakfasts were not significant. Only after the modified breakfast, reduction in blood pressure levels was observed. The satiety level did not show significant variation across each period or between the breakfasts. Non-significant correlation between satiety and glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR values after each intervention period was observed. Conclusion : We conclude that different breakfast compositions do not alter satiety level, which is not correlated to glucose parameters in overweight individuals. Stronger modifications of daily meals might be necessary to differentiate satiety levels under distinct dietary patterns.
Control of PMSG-Based Wind Turbines for System Inertial Response and Power Oscillation Damping

This paper investigates an improved active power control method for variable speed wind turbine to enhance the inertial response and damping capability during transient events. The optimized power point tracking (OPPT) controller, which shifts the turbine operating point from the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) curve to the virtual inertia control (VIC) curves according to the frequency deviation, is proposed to release the “hidden” kinetic energy and provide dynamic frequency support to the grid. The effects of the VIC on power oscillation damping capability are theoretically evaluated. Compared to the conventional supplementary derivative regulator-based inertia control, the proposed control scheme can not only provide fast inertial response, but also increase the system damping capability during transient events. Thus, inertial response and power oscillation damping function can be obtained in a single controller by the proposed OPPT control. A prototype three-machine system containing two synchronous generators and a PMSG-based wind turbine with 31% of wind penetration is tested to validate the proposed control strategy on providing rapid inertial response and enhanced system damping.
Mothers influence on the sexual behavior of their teenage children.

Multivariate techniques are used to examine the influence of mothers sexual experiences as teenagers on their teenage childrens current sexual behaviors. Little of the demonstrated relationship is transmitted through differential attitudes or communication patterns of mothers with differing early sexual experience. For girls there is a reason to believe that the correlation between the mothers early behavior and the daughters current behavior is transmittedd partly via their giological relationship. The population for this study comprizes junior high school students in an urban area of a southern state. The average age of the students was about 14 with age span of 11 to 17 years of age. By race 36% were white males 13% black males 38% white females and 13% black females. Cross-tabulations and correlations are used to explore the relationship between the mothers early behavior and the teenagers current behavior. This research has confirmed the hypothesis that the sexual behavior of the mother when she was an adolescent is related to he current sexual behavior of her child. For boys insisgnificant amounts of influence by mothers early experience are mediated either via the sons developmental atiming or via the mothers attitudes toward sexuality.
Ur/Web

The World Wide Web has evolved gradually from a document delivery platform to an architecture for distributed programming. This largely unplanned evolution is apparent in the set of interconnected languages and protocols that any Web application must manage. This paper presents Ur/Web, a domain-specific, statically typed functional programming language with a much simpler model for programming modern Web applications. Ur/Web's model is unified, where programs in a single programming language are compiled to other "Web standards" languages as needed; supports novel kinds of encapsulation of Web-specific state; and exposes simple concurrency, where programmers can reason about distributed, multithreaded applications via a mix of transactions and cooperative preemption. We give a tutorial introduction to the main features of Ur/Web and discuss the language implementation and the production Web applications that use it.
Hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign is an ominous prognostic marker despite optimal workflow

Abul‐Kasim K, Brizzi M, Petersson J. Hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign is an ominous prognostic marker despite optimal workflow. Acta Neurol Scand: DOI: 2010: 122: 132–139. © 2009 The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Munksgaard.