Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parasocial and parasocial vicarious contact effects on euro Canadians’ views of aboriginal peoples

Research on indirect contact suggests that actual contact with a group may not be necessary to promote positive intergroup attitudes. The ingroup, or group with which one identifies, may have more favourable attitudes toward the outgroup, other group, after indirect contact. The current study examined a video intervention that consisted of a control video (no actors), parasocial video (ingroup and outgroup actor always separate), and parasocial vicarious video (ingroup and outgroup actor interacting). Dependent variables were outgroup attitudes and reported efficacy of future interactions with Aboriginal Peoples by Euro-Canadian participants. As predicted, compared to those who viewed the parasocial video, Euro-Canadian participants who viewed the parasocial vicarious video reported more warmth towards Aboriginal peoples. Additionally, compared to those who viewed the control video, Euro-Canadian participants who viewed the parasocial and parasocial vicarious videos desired less social distance from Aboriginal Peoples. Number of outgroup friendships, as well as quality of outgroup friendships, interact with video manipulation on outgroup attitudes. Results offer preliminary evidence for parasocial vicarious contact to influence positive intergroup attitudes. Further, the data suggest additional benefits of parasocial vicarious contact over and above parasocial contact for some groups.
PENGARUH PENDIDIKAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN, PARENTAL, DAN LOCUS OF CONTROL TERHADAP NIAT BERWIRAUSAHA MAHASISWA

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh pendidikan kewirausahaan, parental, dan locus of control terhadap niat berwirausaha mahasiswa Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Tabanan . Penelitian ini dilakukan di Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Tabanan. Jumlah sampel yang digunakan adalah sebanyak 105 responden, dengan menggunakan metode non probability sampling dengan teknik purposive sampling yaitu sampel ditentukan berdasarkan kriteria tertentu . Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan penyebaran kuisioner dengan menggunakan skala likert 5 poin untuk mengukur 21 item pertanyaan. Teknik analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis regresi linier berganda dengan program SPSS 17.00 for windows . Hasil penelitian menunjukkan setiap variable yang diuji telah valid dan reliable . Secara simultan ketiga variable bebas (pendidikan kewirausahaan, parental dan locus of control ) berpengaruh positif dan signifikan pada niat berwirausaha mahasiswa Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Tabanan .
The industry response to macroeconomic shocks in the UK, Germany and France and the convergence debate

In this paper, we investigate the response of stock returns at an industry level to macroeconomic shocks for the UK, Germany and France. The betas between the stock returns and the macroeconomic factors provide a metric for the markets view of the homogeneity of industry response to the various macroeconomic shocks. We find that the market seems to focus on the interest rate and the exchange rate as key sources of important shocks and that shocks to real output growth have little or no direct effect on most industry returns in all three countries.
Indigenous African Leadership: Key differences from Anglo-centric thinking and writings

This article draws on historical explorers’ accounts, ethnography and organisational approaches to examine practices, discourses and perceptions of leadership in 12 prototypical indigenous communities in West and Central Africa. By so doing, it highlights how leadership meanings from this context differ from Anglo-centric thinking and writings. Key to this contribution is an unravelling of ways in which historical cultural hegemonies impose particular discursive formations, constructed practices and mind-programming in a non-Anglo-Saxon socio-cultural context. Dramaturgical power arrangement, lucid role substitution and the notion of leadership as non-human emerge as dominant themes in the analysis. Also, featuring significantly are representations of leadership in symbols, mythology and as transcendental and metaphysical. These conceptualisations are different from predominant Anglo-Saxon writings that frequently present leadership as linear hierarchies, dyadic (leader-follower) relationship, acts and behaviours of heroic figures and as an essentially human action. An Afro-centric indigenous concept of leadership reflecting the context is proposed which challenges heroism, linearity, individualism and objectivism.
Effects of Combined Rocuronium and Cisatracurium in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Background Laparoscopic upper abdominal surgery can cause spontaneous respiration due to diaphragmatic stimulation and intra-abdominal CO2 inflation. Therefore, sufficient muscle relaxation is necessary for a safe surgical environment. Methods We investigated if the combination of rocuronium and cisatracurium can counteract the delayed onset of cisatracurium’s action and delayed recovery of muscle relaxation and whether the dosage of rocuronium, which is metabolized hepatically, can be reduced. A total of 75 patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy with an American Society of Anesthesiology physical status I-II, in the age range of 20–60 years, and with a 20–30 kg/m2 body mass index were included in the study. Results The patients were divided into the following groups: combination group (Group RC, rocuronium 0.3 mg/kg and cisatracurium 0.05 mg/kg), rocuronium group (Group R, rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg), and cisatracurium group (Group C, cisatracurium 0.1 mg/kg), and the onset, 25% duration, recovery index, and addition/time ratio were measured. Patients in Group RC exhibited a significantly different addition/time ratio compared with patients in the other two groups (p = 0.003). Conclusion During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the 95% effective dose of rocuronium in combination with cisatracurium is expected to provide a sufficient muscle relaxant effect.
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in the differential diagnosis of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

OBJECTIVES To elucidate the role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP NETs) and the potential usefulness in their clinical management. METHODS One hundred ten GEP NET paraffin-embedded samples were immunohistochemically analyzed for E-cadherin, N-cadherin, β-catenin, vimentin, Snail1, Snail2, Twist, and Foxc2 protein expression. RESULTS The 5-year survival rate was reduced for those patients showing high Snail1 protein levels, a cytoplasmic E-cadherin pattern, reduced N-cadherin expression, and loss of E-cadherin/β-catenin adhesion complex integrity at the cell membrane. Interestingly, high β-catenin expression was useful in identifying a grade 1 NET subgroup with a favorable clinical course. Importantly, it also helped to discriminate small-cell vs large-cell grade 3 neuroendocrine carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS β-Catenin and N-cadherin immunohistochemical detection might be a useful tool in the differential diagnosis of small-cell vs large-cell G3 neuroendocrine carcinomas. High Snail1 and Foxc2 expression is associated with the invasion and metastatic spread of GEP NETs.
The Sustainability of Fiscal Policy in the United States

The paper examines the sustainability of U.S. fiscal policy, finding substantial evidence in favor. I summarize the U.S. fiscal record from 1792-2003, critically review sustainability conditions and their testable implications, and apply them to U.S. data. I particularly emphasize the ramifications of economic growth. A “growth dividend” has historically covered the entire interest bill on the U.S. debt. Unit root tests on real series, unscaled by GDP, are distorted by the series’ severe heteroskedasticity. The most credible evidence in favor of sustainability is the robust positive response of primary surpluses to fluctuations in the debt-GDP ratio.
Study on Network Characteristics of Cross-Border Traffic Network of Urban - A Case Study in Lanzhou

In case that the traffic resource is limited, cross-border traffic has great impact on urban transportation, and it is necessary for us to study characteristics of Lanzhou cross-border traffic network. In this paper, the characteristics of cross-border traffic network are studied from different aspects based on the theory of complex network. Results show that Lanzhou cross-border traffic network has small word and scale-free characteristics. These results may bring useful advices for the planning of Lanzhou traffic network. Keywords-complex network; small-word network; scale-free network; cross-border traffic; valley-city
Preoperative radiochemotherapy is successful also in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have intrinsically high apoptotic tumours.

BACKGROUND Not all patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) respond equally to neo-adjuvant radiochemotherapy (RCT). Patients with highly apoptotic less advanced rectal cancers do not benefit from short-term radiotherapy. This study investigates whether this is also the case in the setting of RCT for LARC. PATIENTS AND METHODS Tissue microarrays were constructed of biopsy and resection specimens of 201 LARC patients. Apoptosis (M30) and several apoptosis-regulating proteins [p53, Bcl-2, Bax, cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) and mamma serine protease inhibitor (maspin)] were studied with immunohistochemistry. Subsequently, predictive values for local recurrence (LR), overall survival (OS) and histological tumour regression were analysed. RESULTS Apoptotic levels, quantified as the number of apoptotic cells/mm(2) tumour epithelium, were higher in posttherapy tissues compared with biopsies (P < 0.001). Biopsies from clinical T4 stage tumours demonstrated significantly higher levels of apoptosis than clinical T3 stage tumours (P = 0.020). Therapy-induced apoptosis was higher when the interval between the last day of irradiation and surgery increased (P < 0.001, correlation coefficient = 0.355). Pre- and posttherapy apoptosis, p53, Bcl-2, Bax and Cox-2 were not associated with LR, OS or tumour regression. Intense pretherapy cytoplasmatic staining of maspin indicated a higher risk on LR (P = 0.009) only. CONCLUSION Combined RCT is also successful in highly apoptotic tumours and is therefore independent of intrinsic apoptosis.
Intuitive Navigation in Computer Applications for People with Parkinsons

Research is reported concerning the development of intuitive navigation within a music-dance application designed for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Following a review of current research into the use of motion-sensing cameras in therapeutic contexts, we describe the method by which a relatively low-cost motion-sensing camera was coupled with a rotatable function menu. The rotatable element of the system enabled navigation of the entire menu using only two, readily performable and distinct gestures: side-swipe for function browsing; down-swipe for function selecting. To aid acceptance amongst the target audience, people with PD (who tend to be relatively elderly), the rotatable function menu was rendered as a ballerina jewelry box, with appropriate texturing and music-box style musical accompaniment. Menu implementation employed a game engine, and a software development kit allowed direct access to the camera’s functionality, enabling gesture recognition. For example, users’ side-swipe gestures spun the jewelry box (as if interacting with an object in the real world) until a desired function, presented on each facet of the box, was forward facing. Also described are features and settings, designed to ensure safe and effective use of the application, and help maintain user motivation and interest.
Cognition in novice ecstasy users with minimal exposure to other drugs: a prospective cohort study.

CONTEXT Ecstasy (street name for [+/-]-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA]) use has been associated with cognitive deficits, especially in verbal memory. However, owing to the cross-sectional and retrospective nature of currently available studies, questions remain regarding the causal direction and clinical relevance of these findings. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between Ecstasy use and subsequent cognitive performance. DESIGN A prospective cohort study in Ecstasy-naive subjects with a high risk for future first Ecstasy use, as part of the Netherlands XTC Toxicity study. The initial examination took place between April 10, 2002, and April 28, 2004; follow-up was within 3 years after the initial examination. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS One hundred eighty-eight healthy Ecstasy-naive volunteers (mean age, 22 years) were recruited. Of these, 58 subjects started using Ecstasy (mean cumulative dose, 3.2 tablets; median cumulative dose, 1.5 tablets). They were compared with 60 persistent Ecstasy-naive subjects matched on age, sex, intelligence, and use of substances other than Ecstasy. Differences in cognition between Ecstasy users and Ecstasy-naive subjects were adjusted for differences in cannabis and other recreational drug use. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Change scores between the initial examination and follow-up on neurocognitive tests measuring attention, working memory, verbal and visual memory, and visuospatial ability. RESULTS At the initial examination, there were no statistically significant differences in any of the neuropsychological test scores between persistent Ecstasy-naive subjects and future Ecstasy users. However, at follow-up, change scores on immediate and delayed verbal recall and verbal recognition were significantly lower in the group of incident Ecstasy users compared with persistent Ecstasy-naive subjects. There were no significant differences on other test scores. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that even a first low cumulative dose of Ecstasy is associated with decline in verbal memory. Although the performance of the group of incident Ecstasy users is still within the normal range and the immediate clinical relevance of the observed deficits is limited, long-term negative consequences cannot be excluded.
Analises de grãos de amido e fitólitos nas terras altas do sul do Brasil: repensando a economia e mobilidade dos grupos proto-Jê meridionais

Resumo: Este artigo apresenta os resultados das analises de graos de amido e de fitolito de 14 fragmentos cerâmicos recuperados em duas estruturas de coccao domesticas de uma casa semissubterânea dos proto-Je Meridionais no sitio Bonin (Urubici, Santa Catarina, sul do Brasil) que datam de 1350 e 1340 cal . yr. AD. A inedita aplicacao de tecnicas para estudos de plantas microfosseis nesta regiao revelou, pela primeira vez, o consumo da mandioca ( Manihot esculenta ), feijao ( Phaseolus sp.), e, possivelmente, inhame ( Dioscorea cf. sp.) alem de milho ( Zea mays ) e abobora ( Cucurbita sp.). Estes resultados mostram que os proto-Je meriodionais tiveram uma economia de subsistencia baseada em uma ampla gama de alimentos de origem vegetal e praticavam a producao de alimentos mais de um seculo antes da conquista europeia. Ao contrario do que os modelos tradicionais da mobilidade proto-Je meriodionais, nossos dados sugerem que a producao de alimentos pode ter permitido que estas populacoes permanecessem o ano interio no planalto sul brasileiro, sem a necessidade de realizar movimentos sazonais para a escarpa e para a costa para adquirir a maior parte dos recursos alimentares. Nossos dados complementam evidencias arqueologicas que paontam para o sedentarismo e a emergenica da complexidade social entre grupos proto-Je do sul, incluindo a construcao de grandes e bem planejadas aldeias de casas semissubterrâneas, e a criacao de uma paisagem altamente estruturada no entorno de estruturas funerarias. Abstract: This article presents the results of starch grain and phytolith residue analyses from 14 ceramic fragments recovered in two domestic cooking structures from a southern proto-Je pit house at the Bonin site (Urubici, Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil) dating to 1280 and 1420 cal. yr. AD and 1280 and 1400 cal. yr. AD. The novel application of plant microfossil techniques in this region revealed, for the first time, the consumption of manioc (Manihot esculenta), beans (Phaseolus sp.), and possibly yams (cf. Dioscorea sp.) in addition to maize (Zea mays) and squash (Cucurbita sp.). These findings show that southern proto-Je people had a subsistence economy based on a broad range of plant foods and practiced food production more than one century before European Conquest. Contrary to traditional models of southern proto-Je mobility, our data suggest that food production may have allowed populations to settle in the southern Brazilian highland plateau year round without the need to carry out seasonal movements to escarpment and coast to acquire the most part of food resources. Our data complement archaeological evidence for sedentism and social complexity among southern proto-Je groups, including the construction of large, well-planned pit-house villages, and the creation of a highly structured landscape revolving around funerary structures.
Quantifying Influence in Social Networks and News Media

Massive numbers of users of social networks share various types of information such as opinions, news, and ideas in real time. As a new form of social network, Twitter is a particularly useful information source. Studying influence can help us better understand the role of social networks. The popularity of social networks like Twitter is primarily measured by the number of followers. The number of followers in Twitter and the number of users exposed to news media are important factors in measuring influence. We chose Twitter and the New York Times as representative media to analyze the influence and present an empirical analysis of these datasets. When the correlation between the number of followers in Twitter and the number of users exposed to the New York Times is computed, the result is moderately high. The correlation between the number of users exposed to the New York Times and the number of sections including the users on it, was found to be very high. We measure the normalized influence score using our proposed expression based on the two correlation coefficients.
Human Mobility in Virtual and Real Worlds: Characterization, Modeling, and Implications

The performance of networked systems that support common human activities, such as mobile communication and participation in online games, depends on the characteristics of human mobility. Human mobility models are crucial in the design and tuning of these systems, but depend on detailed and long-term human mobility traces, which, in turn, are difficult to obtain from real environments. Thus, although many human mobility models have already been developed, few have been validated against adequate traces. In contrast, in this work we investigate the use human mobility traces collected from realistic, human-like virtual worlds for the purpose of understanding human mobility and developing new mobility models. We collect traces for over 30,000 virtual citizens of a popular virtual world, and compare these traces with other realand virtual-world traces. Our analysis reveals that the mobility traces of humans in virtual and real worlds have many similar characteristics. We further propose SAMOVAR, a model for human mobility in virtual and real worlds that takes into account mobility characteristics such as the population-wide and individual area popularity. Based on synthetic traces generated from our and three other models, we conduct a simulation-based analysis of the impact of human mobility on the performance of virtual and real networked environments. We find that SAMOVAR leads to useful insights, and discriminates better than the other models among the performance of different networked environments. Wp 1 http://www.pds. ewi.tudelft. nl/∼siqi/ Shen, Brouwers, and Iosup Wp Human Mobility in Virtual and Real WorldsWp PDS
Bayesian Estimation of the GARCH(1,1) Model with Student-t Innovations

This paper presents the R package bayesGARCH which provides functions for the Bayesian estimation of the parsimonious but effective GARCH(1,1) model with Student-t innovations. The estimation procedure is fully automatic and thus avoids the time-consuming and difficult task of tuning a sampling algorithm. The usage of the package is shown in an empirical application to exchange rate log-returns.
DWT-based technique for spatio-frequency masking of digital signatures

The growth of the Internet and the diffusion of multimedia applications requires the development of techniques for embedding identification codes into images, in such a way that it can be granted their authenticity and/or protected the copyright. In this paper a novel system for image watermarking, which exploits the similarity exhibited by the Digital Wavelet Transform with respect to the models of the Human Visual System, for robustly hiding watermarks is presented. In particular, a model for estimating the sensitivity of the eye to noise, previously proposed for compression applications, is used to adapt the watermark strength to the local content of the image. Experimental results are shown supporting the validity of the approach.
An Algorithmic Method to Build Good Training Sets for Neural-Network Classifiers

To classify complex patterns using a neural network and a supervised training algorithm, one needs a complete training set that represents all possible characteristics of the examined problem. Building good training sets for neural network classifiers can be very difficult, especially if the problem involves complex patterns barely feasible by human perception. This paper proposes an algorithmic method for building small training sets that endow the net with small generalization errors. The effectiveness of the method is shown with two examples of image classification.
Electroweak-scale resonant leptogenesis

We study minimal scenarios of resonant leptogenesis near the electroweak phase transition. These models offer a number of testable phenomenological signatures for low-energy experiments and future high-energy colliders. Our study extends previous analyses of the relevant network of Boltzmann equations, consistently taking into account effects from out of equilibrium sphalerons and single lepton flavors. We show that the effects from single lepton flavors become very important in variants of resonant leptogenesis, where the observed baryon asymmetry in the Universe is created by lepton-to-baryon conversion of an individual lepton number, for example, that of the {tau}-lepton. The predictions of such resonant {tau}-leptogenesis models for the final baryon asymmetry are almost independent of the initial lepton-number and heavy neutrino abundances. These models accommodate the current neutrino data and have a number of testable phenomenological implications. They contain electroweak-scale heavy Majorana neutrinos with appreciable couplings to electrons and muons, which can be probed at future e{sup +}e{sup -} and {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} high-energy colliders. In particular, resonant {tau}-leptogenesis models predict sizable 0{nu}{beta}{beta} decay, as well as e- and {mu}-number-violating processes, such as {mu}{yields}e{gamma} and {mu}{yields}e conversion in nuclei, with rates that are within reach of the experiments proposed by the MEG and MECOmore » collaborations. « less
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In this work, we present a new method for recognizing planar objects by matching multiple concavities of object boundaries in a projective invariant manner. Object boundaries are first decomposed into several concavities using bitangents and obtained concavities are then sorted. Corresponding concavities are aligned by using the projective matrix computed from their bitangent and tangent points. Best concavities are selected based on the Hausdorff distance between aligned concavities. This subset of concavities is then used to align original and transformed objects. Closeness of two aligned objects is checked by the same distance metric. Proposed method is verified by several experiments