Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Prefigurative Politics of Play in Public Places: Children Claim Their Democratic Right to the City Through Play

Children have as much “right” to the city as adult citizens, yet they lose out in the urban spatial justice stakes. Built environments prioritizing motor vehicles, a default urban planning position that sees children as belonging in child-designated areas, and safety discourses, combine to restrict children’s presence and opportunities for play, rendering them out of place in public space. In this context, children’s everyday appropriations of public spaces for their “playful imaginings” can be seen as a reclamation of their democratic right to the city: a prefigurative politics of play enacted by citizen kids. In this article, we draw on data collected with 265 children in Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand, to consider how children’s playful practices challenge adult hegemony of the public domain and prefigure the possibilities of a more equal, child-friendly, and playful city.
Iterative Learning Control of Integer and Noninteger Order : an Overview

This paper provides an overview of the recently presented and published results relating to the use of iterative learning control (ILC) based on and integer and fractional order. ILC is one of the recent topics in control theories and it is a powerful control concept that iteratively improves the behavior of processes that are repetitive in nature. ILC is suitable for controlling a wider class of mechatronic systems it is especially suitable for motion control of robotic systems that attract and hold an important position in biomechatronical, technical systems involving the application, military industry, etc. The first part of the paper presents the results relating to the application of higher integer order PD type ILC with numerical simulation. Also, another integer order ILC scheme is proposed for a given robotic system with three degrees of freedom for task-space trajectory tracking where the effectiveness of the suggested control is demonstrated through a simulation procedure. In the
In vivo role of ER-associated peptidase activity in tailoring peptides for presentation by MHC class Ia and class Ib molecules

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated aminopeptidase (ERAP)1 has been implicated in the final proteolytic processing of peptides presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. To evaluate the in vivo role of ERAP1, we have generated ERAP1-deficient mice. Cell surface expression of the class Ia molecules H-2Kb and H-2Db and of the class Ib molecule Qa-2 was significantly reduced in these animals. Although cells from mutant animals exhibited reduced capacity to present several self- and foreign antigens to Kb-, Db-, or Qa-1b–restricted CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, presentation of some antigens was unaffected or significantly enhanced. Consistent with these findings, mice generated defective CD8+ T cell responses against class I–presented antigens. These findings reveal an important in vivo role of ER-associated peptidase activity in tailoring peptides for presentation by MHC class Ia and class Ib molecules.
A local cluster head election algorithm in wireless sensor networks

Clustering is one of the basic approaches for designing energy-efficient and scalable distributed sensor networks. HEED is a well known energy efficient clustering protocol. In this protocol, the message overhead is low and cluster heads are distributed fairly across the network. Our distributed clustering protocol, HEED*, improves HEED protocol to achieve energy efficiency with three techniques: 1) local clustering, i.e., whenever a cluster head consumes a prespecified part of its energy, it only informs its member nodes to hold cluster head elections for the upcoming round. Therefore, clustering is performed locally (in contrast to performing it globally). 2) Reducing the number of message exchanges per iteration through eliminating unnecessary cluster head messages. 3) In HEED*, a node with higher amount of remaining energy is considered more eligible candidate for election as a cluster head. Besides, each node computes a communication cost, and a regular (non cluster head) node elects the cluster head with the least communication cost to connect to. Simulation results show that the protocol outperforms HEED protocol in terms of network lifetime.
Portfolio Optimization in parma (Version 1.6-0)

The p ortfolio a llocation and r isk m anagement a pplications ( parma ) package provides a set of models and methods for use in the allocation and management of capital in ﬁnan-cial portfolios. It uniquely represents certain discontinuous problems using their smooth approximation counterparts and implements fractional based programming for the direct optimization of risk-to-reward ratios. This paper forms an introduction to the models and methods.
Personalized Moderate-Intensity Exercise Training Combined with High-Intensity Interval Training Enhances Training Responsiveness

This study sought to determine if personalized moderate-intensity continuous exercise training (MICT) combined with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) was more effective at improving comprehensive training responsiveness than MICT alone. Apparently healthy, but physically inactive men and women (n = 54) were randomized to a non-exercise control group or one of two 13-week exercise training groups: (1) a personalized MICT + HIIT aerobic and resistance training program based on the American Council on Exercise guidelines, or (2) a standardized MICT aerobic and resistance training program designed according to current American College of Sports Medicine guidelines. Mean changes in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and Metabolic (MetS) z-score in the personalized MICT + HIIT group were more favorable (p < 0.05) when compared to both the standardized MICT and control groups. Additionally, on the individual level, there were positive improvements in VO2max (Δ > 4.9%) and MetS z-score (Δ ≤ −0.48) in 100% (16/16) of participants in the personalized MICT + HIIT group. In the present study, a personalized exercise prescription combining MICT + HIIT in conjunction with resistance training elicited greater improvements in VO2max, MetS z-score reductions, and diminished inter-individual variation in VO2max and cardiometabolic training responses when compared to standardized MICT.
Properties of Ellipticity Correlation with Atmospheric Structure from Gemini South

Cosmic shear holds great promise for a precision independent measurement of Ωm, the mass density of the universe relative to the critical density. The signal is expected to be weak, so a thorough understanding of systematic effects is crucial. An important systematic effect is the atmosphere: shear power introduced by the atmosphere is larger than the expected signal. Algorithms exist to extract the cosmic shear from the atmospheric component, although a measure of their success applied to a range of seeing conditions is lacking. To gain insight into atmospheric shear, Gemini South imaging, in conjunction with ground condition and satellite wind data, was obtained. We find that under good seeing conditions point-spread function (PSF) correlations persist well beyond the separation typical of high-latitude stars. Under these conditions, ellipticity residuals based on a simple PSF interpolation can be reduced to within a factor of a few of the shot noise induced ellipticity floor. We also find that the ellipticity residuals are highly correlated with wind direction. Finally, we correct stellar shapes using a more sophisticated procedure and generate shear statistics from stars. Under all seeing conditions in our data set the residual correlations lie everywhere below the target signal level. For good seeing we find that the systematic error attributable to atmospheric turbulence is comparable in magnitude to the statistical error (shape noise) over angular scales relevant to present lensing surveys.
Determination of Pyridinoline and Deoxypyridinoline in Urine , with Special Attention to Retaining Their Stability

Urinary excretion of the pyridinium crosslinks pyridinoline (Pyr) and deoxypyridinoline (Dpyr) is used as a biochemical marker of bone resorption. The present study was undertaken to determine the long-term stability of these compounds in stored urine, using the HPLC method. Systematic investigation of their chemical stability in urine demonstrated that both the free and conjugated forms of Pyr and Dpyr are extremely stable: No significant changes were observed after 6 weeks at -20#{176}C storage (e.g., free Pyr 9.6 ± 1.2 moVmol creatinine (before) and 10.6 ± 3.2 (after); free Dpyr 2.3 ± 0.2 moVmol creatinine (before) and 2.5 ± 1.2 (after)). These results predict stability of unnes stored for 10-20 years at -20#{176}C in the dark. Also, freezing and thawing as many as 10 times had no effect on the concentrations of the crosslinks. Study of the stability of the excretion pattern in healthy women showed substantially higher variations in excretions of free and total Dpyr (18% and 13%, respectively) than of Pyr (10% for both forms).
Diffusion of Broadband Mobile Services in Korea : The Role of Standards and Its Impact on Diffusion of Complex Technology System

Rapid developments in computing and communication technology have made broadband Internet service over the wireless phone networks possible. This so-called 3G (third generation) mobile services promise to usher us into an era of a seamless marriage between Internet data and mobile phone services. However, despite the much-hyped fanfare in the media, the actual diffusion of 3G services has been much slow and disappointing in most countries. South Korea has been one of one of few countries that have experienced rapid development and diffusion of 3G and the less-advanced 2.5G (two and half generation) mobile services. Given the rapid and ubiquitous penetration into everyday use in Korea, broadband mobile services in Korea offers an unique opportunity for us to examine how complex technology gets accepted in a larger scale.
Eight Reasons Women Stay in Abusive Relationships

Things took an interesting turn when Janay Palmer spoke out in defense of her husband. She apologized at a press conference[2] saying: “I deeply regret the role I played that night,” and later asked people to stop their judgments and accusations. “Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is,” she posted[3] on Instagram, asking others to not take anything from the man she loves.
Phylogeny of Flavobacteria Group Isolated from Freshwater Using Multilocus Sequencing Analysis

Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene has been widely used for the classification of microorganisms. However, we have been unable to clearly identify five Flavobacterium species isolated from a freshwater by using the gene as a single marker, because the evolutionary history is incomplete and the pace of DNA substitutions is relatively rapid in the bacteria. In this study, we tried to classify Flavobacterium species through multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), which is a practical and reliable technique for the identification or classification of bacteria. The five Flavobacterium species isolated from freshwater and 37 other strains were classified based on six housekeeping genes: gyrB, dnaK, tuf, murG, atpA, and glyA. The genes were amplified by PCR and subjected to DNA sequencing. Based on the combined DNA sequence (4,412 bp) of the six housekeeping genes, we analyzed the phylogenetic relationship among the Flavobacterium species. The results indicated that MLSA, based on the six housekeeping genes, is a trustworthy method for the identification of closely related Flavobacterium species.
Cytokines and chemokines in meningeal inflammation: biology and clinical implications.

The CNS differs from other tissues in the body by the elaboration of a tight blood-brain barrier (BBB), which drastically reduces access of leukocytes and plasma components to the subarachnoid space and brain parenchyma. During infections of the CNS, an inflammatory reaction occurs across the BBB that can affect the subarachnoid space (meningitis), the brain parenchyma (encephalitis), or both (meningoencephalitis). The composition and time course of CNS inflammation vary greatly. Acute bacterial meningitis is characterized by a rapid accumulation of granulocytes in the CSF that evolves within hours. Viral forms of meningitis are associated with moderate numbers of mononuclear WBCs. The extent of cellular inflammation in encephalitis can vary from occasional cells in the parenchyma to extensive perivascular inflammatory cuffs. Inflammation of the CNS is of great clinical relevance for at least two reasons. First, the inflammatory reaction to the invading CNS pathogen, rather than the pathogen itself, appears to be largely responsible for the damage that results from many CNS infections. In bacterial meningitis, evidence of brain damage can progress long after the site of infection has been sterilized by antibiotic therapy. Conversely, CNS inflammation that is induced without microbial pathogens, for example by expressing a chemokine under a brain-specific promotor, can lead to brain damage similar to that seen in infectious encephalitis [1]. Second, CNS inflammation is notably ineffective in eliminating many pathogens. If bacterial meningitis and acute and chronic CNS infections caused by other pathogens (e.g., herpes simplex virus, spirochetes, rabies virus) are not treated adequately, they either progress rapidly to death or establish chronic infections.
Gender Discrimination and Emigration: Push factor or Selection process? I

Our objective in this research is to provide empirical evidence relating to the linkages between gender equality and emigration. Two theoretical hypotheses can be made for the purpose of analyzing such linkages. The rst is that gender discrimination in origin countries could be a push factor for women. The second one is that gender discrimination may create a "gender bias" in the selection of migrants within a household or a community. An improvement of gender equality would then increase female migration. We build several original indices of gender equality using principal component analysis. Our empirical results show that the push factor hypothesis is clearly rejected. All else held constant, improving gender equality in the workplace is positively correlated with the migration of women, especially of the high-skilled. We observe the opposite eect for low-skilled men. This result is robust to several specications and to various measurements of gender equality.
Preventing the Return of Fear Using Reconsolidation Update Mechanisms Depends on the Met-Allele of the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Polymorphism

Background: Memory reconsolidation is the direct effect of memory reactivation followed by stabilization of newly synthesized proteins. It has been well proven that neural encoding of both newly and reactivated memories requires synaptic plasticity. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been extensively investigated regarding its role in the formation of synaptic plasticity and in the alteration of fear memories. However, its role in fear reconsolidation is still unclear; hence, the current study has been designed to investigate the role of the BDNF val66met polymorphism (rs6265) in fear memory reconsolidation in humans. Methods: An auditory fear-conditioning paradigm was conducted, which comprised of three stages (acquisition, reactivation, and spontaneous recovery). One day after fear acquisition, the experimental group underwent reactivation of fear memory followed by the extinction training (reminder group), whereas the control group (non-reminder group) underwent only extinction training. On day 3, both groups were subjected to spontaneous recovery of earlier learned fearful memories. The treat-elicited defensive response due to conditioned threat was measured by assessing the skin conductance response to the conditioned stimulus. All participants were genotyped for rs6265. Results: The results indicate a diminishing effect of reminder on the persistence of fear memory only in the Met-allele carriers, suggesting a moderating effect of the BDNF polymorphism in fear memory reconsolidation. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a new role for BDNF gene variation in fear memory reconsolidation in humans.
Toward an effective hybrid collaborative filtering: A new approach based on matrix factorization and heuristic-based neighborhood

“Collaborative filtering” (CF) methods provide a good solution for recommendation systems. Neighborhood formation is considered as the main phase in memory approaches. Unfortunately, this phase encounters many problems such as sparsity and scalability, especially for huge datasets which consists of a large number of users and items. This paper presents a new hybrid approach for collaborative filtering. It is based on two heuristic approaches for neighborhood selection. The first of which is based on selecting users who rated the same items as the active user called “intersection neighborhood”, while the second one builds the neighborhood using all users who rated one item at least as the active user called “union neighborhood”. In addition, we employ matrix factorization technique to learn the latent characteristics of the selected neighborhood (users or items) in order to quickly predict good quality of the unknown ratings. Finally, experiments show that the proposed approaches give more predictions accuracy than the traditional collaborative filtering.
Sliding mode control of an autonomous welding robot

Welding robots are seldom entirely autonomous, mainly because a robotic arm, integrated in an assembly line, produces better results. There are, however, situations, such as welding inside pipes, or in shipyards, where autonomous welding robots are really helpful. This paper presents integral and proportional integral sliding mode control techniques for controlling the speed of DC motors. Results of the simulations in Matlab and LabView show that such controllers are suitable for speed/ position control of the DC motors that drive autonomous mobile robots. The system described here has low chattering, which results in good quality of the welding.
Adaptable and extensible bindings in distributed environments

In distributed systems, there is a need for binding mechanis ms that allow an application to be dynamically modified, extended or reconfigured to respond to varying requirem ents at execution time. Usual distributed platforms for application development do not allow such dynamic evolutio n. This paper presents a framework for adaptable and extensible bindings. We have built a binding model which is s tatically configurable and dynamically adaptable. In order to enable such adaptations, our solution is based on ex te sions that can be dynamically associated to bindings. The composition of these extensions is specified by rules to m aintain the coherence of the system.
SITAC: discovering semantically identical temporally altering concepts in text archives

This paper demonstrates a system called SITAC based on our proposed approach to automate the discovery of concepts (called SITACs) in text sources that are identical semantically but alter their names over time. This system is developed to perform time-aware translation of queries over text corpora by incorporating terminology evolution, thus providing more accurate responses to users, e.g., query processing on Mumbai should automatically take into account its former name Bombay. The SITAC system constitutes a novel collaborative framework of natural language processing, association rule mining and contextual similarity.
A microtubule-destabilizing kinesin motor regulates spindle length and anchoring in oocytes

The kinesin-13 motor, KLP10A, destabilizes microtubules at their minus ends in mitosis and binds to polymerizing plus ends in interphase, regulating spindle and microtubule dynamics. Little is known about kinesin-13 motors in meiosis. In this study, we report that KLP10A localizes to the unusual pole bodies of anastral Drosophila melanogaster oocyte meiosis I spindles as well as spindle fibers, centromeres, and cortical microtubules. We frequently observe the pole bodies attached to cortical microtubules, indicating that KLP10A could mediate spindle anchoring to the cortex via cortical microtubules. Oocytes treated with drugs that suppress microtubule dynamics exhibit spindles that are reoriented more vertically to the cortex than untreated controls. A dominant-negative klp10A mutant shows both reoriented and shorter oocyte spindles, implying that, unexpectedly, KLP10A may stabilize rather than destabilize microtubules, regulating spindle length and positioning the oocyte spindle. By altering microtubule dynamics, KLP10A could promote spindle reorientation upon oocyte activation.
Altered Expression Levels of the Protein Phosphatase 2A ABαC Enzyme Are Associated with Alzheimer Disease Pathology

The formation of amyloid-containing senile plaques and tau-rich neurofibrillary tangles are central events in Alzheimer disease (AD) pathogenesis. Significantly, ABαC, a major protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) holoenzyme, specifically binds to and dephosphorylates tau. Deregulation of PP2A results in tau hyperphosphorylation in vivo. Here, we compared the expression levels and distribution of PP2A subunits in various brain regions from autopsy cases of AD and aged controls with or without histological evidence of age-related neurofibrillary degeneration. Immunoblotting analyses revealed that there was a significant reduction in the total amounts of ABαC in AD frontal and temporal cortices that matched the decrease in PP2A activity measured in the same brain homogenates. Immunohistochemical studies showed that neuronal ABαC expression levels were significantly and selectively decreased in AD-affected regions and in tangle-bearing neurons, but not in AD cerebellum and in non-AD dementias. Reduced neuronal ABαC immunoreactivity closely correlated with tangle load, but not plaque burden, suggesting that ABαC dysfunction contributes to AD tau pathology. Glial cells within senile plaques were also positive for ABαC. Increased glial PP2A immunoreactivity was observed in both AD and non-AD cases and may play a role in the brain's response to general inflammatory processes and amyloidogenesis.
Learning motion primitives of object manipulation using Mimesis Model

In this paper, we present a system to learn manipulation motion primitives from human demonstration. This system, based on the statistical model “Mimesis Model”, provides an easy-to-use human-interface for learning manipulation motion primitives, as well as a natural language interface allowing human to modify and instruct robot motions. The human-demonstrated manipulation motion primitives are initially encoded by Hidden Markov Models (HMM). The models are then projected to a topological space where they are labeled, and their similarities are represented as their distances in the space. We then explore the unknown area in this space by interpolation between known models. New motion primitives are thus generated from the unknown area to meet the new manipulation scenarios. We demonstrate this system by learning bimanual grasping strategies. The implemented system successfully reproduces and generalizes the motion primitives in different grasping scenarios.
Poisson excess relative risk models: New implementations and software

Two new implementations for fitting Poisson excess relative risk methods are proposed for as- sumed simple models. This allows for estimation of the excess relative risk associated with a unique exposure, where the background risk is modelled by a unique categorical variable, for example gender or attained age levels. Additionally, it is shown how to fit general Poisson linear relative risk models in R. Both simple methods and the R fitting are illustrated in three examples. The first two examples are from the radiation epidemiology literature. Data in the third example are randomly generated with the purpose of sharing it jointly with the R scripts.