Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Massive Rewards on Reading Achievement in Potential Urban School Dropouts

Most theories of learning emphasize reinforcement as an important determinant of behavior, and yet no randomized, controlled experiments have been done in school classrooms (Parton and Ross, 1965). This study reports an investigation of this problem in an after-school reading program for children in the Chicago Public Schools.2 The experiment took place in the south side of the innercity, an area populated by rural, Negro migrants from Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi and their first and second generations. The neighborhood is characterized by low standards of living and high rates of social pathology: unemployment, crime, and school attrition. Nationally-standardized achievement tests of children in this part of the city show that they are from one to four years behind typical levels of children in the same age and grade. One can imagine-and confirm by observation-that for these children, school work is frustrating and negatively reinforcing. The object of this study was to make the reinforcement positive with massive verbal rewards given by the teacher and tallied by each child, and to observe its effect on reading achievement. There were three problems faced in conducting this experiment. The first had to do with the random assignment of pupils to experi-
Impaired biliary excretion and whole body elimination of methylmercury in rats with a congenital defect in biliary glutathione excretion

Biliary excretion of methylmercury, a major route of elimination of this toxic compound, was less than 2% of control in Eisai hyperbilirubinemic (EHBR) rats, a mutant Sprague‐Dawley strain with a defect in biliary excretion of a variety of organic anions, including glutathione S‐conjugates and reduced glutathione (GSH). Biliary GSH excretion in EHBR rats was also <2% of controls, confirming previous findings. Impaired biliary methylmercury and GSH excretion was not explained by decreased hepatic content of these compounds. Indeed, hepatic methylmercury and GSH concentrations in EHBR rats were actually double those of controls. To assess the significance of the impaired biliary excretion in the whole body elimination of the toxicant, 203Hg excretion was measured over a 17‐day period after intraperitoneal administration of either 0.5 or 5 μmol/kg of 203Hg‐methylmercury chloride. The results for the two doses were similar. Methylmercury was eliminated by a first order process; however, the biological half‐life was significantly longer in the EHBR rats, 46 to 54 days versus 18 to 22 days. Fecal excretion was the main route of elimination in both control and mutant animals. At necropsy (17 days), 16% to 25% of the 203Hg dose was recovered in the liver of the EHBR rats, whereas livers of control animals contained less than 2% of the administered dose. These findings demonstrate that biliary excretion of methylmercury is markedly impaired in EHBR rats and is associated with a low biliary GSH excretion, providing support for the hypothesis that methylmercury is normally transported across the canalicular membrane by a GSH‐dependent mechanism, and presumably as a GSH mercaptide (CH3Hg‐SG). This study also provides a direct measure of the contribution of biliary excretion to the whole‐body elimination of methylmercury. The biological half‐life of the metal was 2.5 times longer in the mutant animals, indicating a critical role for biliary secretion in methylmercury detoxification. (Hepatology 1995; 22:1469–1473).
Spatially-Explicit Testing of a General Aboveground Carbon Density Estimation Model in a Western Amazonian Forest Using Airborne LiDAR

Mapping aboveground carbon density in tropical forests can support CO2 emission monitoring and provide benefits for national resource management. Although LiDAR technology has been shown to be useful for assessing carbon density patterns, the accuracy and generality of calibrations of LiDAR-based aboveground carbon density (ACD) predictions with those obtained from field inventory techniques should be intensified in order to advance tropical forest carbon mapping. Here we present results from the application of a general ACD estimation model applied with small-footprint LiDAR data and field-based estimates of a 50-ha forest plot in Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park. Subplots used for calibration and validation of the general LiDAR equation were selected based on analysis of topographic position and spatial distribution of aboveground carbon stocks. The results showed that stratification of plot locations based on topography can improve the calibration and application of ACD estimation using airborne LiDAR (R2 = 0.94, RMSE = 5.81 Mg·C·ha−1, BIAS = 0.59). These results strongly suggest that a general LiDAR-based approach can be used for mapping aboveground carbon stocks in western lowland Amazonian forests.
Code-M: A non-MDS erasure code scheme to support fast recovery from up to two-disk failures in storage systems

In this paper, we present a novel coding scheme that can tolerate up to two-disk failures, satisfying the RAID-6 property. Our coding scheme, Code-M, is a non-MDS (Maximum Distance Separable, tolerating maximum failures with a given amount of redundancy) code that is optimized by trading rate for fast recovery times. Code-M is lowest density and its parity chain length is fixed at 2C − 1 for a given number of columns in a strip-set C. The rate of Code-M, or percentage of disk space occupied by non-parity data, is (C − 1)/C. We perform theoretical analysis and evaluation of the coding scheme under different configurations. Our theoretical analysis shows that Code-M has favorable reconstruction times compared to RDP, another well-established RAID-6 code. The quantitative comparisons of Code-M against RDP demonstrate recovery performance improvement by a factor of up to 5.18 under single disk failure and 2.8 under double failures using the same number of disks. Overall, Code-M is a RAID-6 type code supporting fast recovery with reduced I/O complexity.
Green resource allocation for OFDMA wireless cellular networks

Packet scheduling algorithms are viewed as one of the key mechanisms for increasing the diversity order, robustness and effectiveness of a wireless multi-user communication system. Traditional packet scheduling are mainly designed to increase the system capacity. In this paper we present a novel scheduling algorithm that improves the scheduling energy efficiency in OFDMA based wireless cellular networks. Our goal is to reduce the overall downlink energy consumption while adapting the target of spectral efficiency to the actual load of the system and meeting the Quality of Service (QoS). Our analysis reveals how the proposed approach permits to achieve notable energy gain over traditional scheduling algorithm especially in not saturated scenarios.
A functional model of visuo-verbal disconnection and the neuroanatomical constraints of optic aphasia

Abstract In this paper, we discuss the case of a patient, AB, who presented a pattern of performance corresponding to that usually known as optic aphasia. In particular, her visual object naming was severely impaired, while tactile naming and naming to definition were significantly better. In addition to the classical visual anomia, the patient also showed a deficit in tasks requiring categorization and access to associative knowledge. We interpret the results of our patient in line with the explanation proposed by Coslett and Saffran (Brain, 1989; 112: 1091–110), I.e. a disconnection between right hemisphere and left hemisphere semantic knowledge. Damage to the left occipital region requires the initial processing of visual information to be carried out in the right hemisphere only, and a lesion of the splenium of the corpus callosum interrupts the flow of information from the right to the left hemisphere. However, the pattern of symptoms observed in our patient can only be fully explained by combining t.
Relationship Between Peak Lactate and Patient Outcome Following High-Risk Gastrointestinal Surgery: Influence of the Nature of Their Surgery Elective Versus Emergency

Objectives:The association between hyperlactatemia and adverse outcome in patients admitted to ICUs following gastrointestinal surgery has not been reported. To explore the hypothesis that in a large cohort of gastrointestinal surgical patients, the peak serum lactate (in the first 24 hr) observed in patients admitted to ICU following surgery is associated with unadjusted and severity-adjusted acute hospital mortality and that the strength of association is greater in patients admitted following “emergency” surgery than in patients admitted following “elective” surgery. Design:A retrospective cohort study of all patients who had gastrointestinal surgery and were admitted directly to the ICU between 2008 and 2012. Setting:Two hundred forty-nine hospitals in the United Kingdom. Patients:One hundred twenty-one thousand nine hundred ninety patients. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Peak blood lactate in the first 24 hours of admission to critical care, acute hospital mortality, length of stay, and other variables routinely collected within the U.K. Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre Case Mix Programme database. Elevated blood lactate was associated with increased risk of death and prolonged duration of stay, and the relationship was maintained once adjusted for confounding variables. The positive association between mortality and levels of blood lactate continued down into the “normal range,” without evidence of a plateau. There was no difference in the extent to which hyperlactatemia was related to mortality between patients admitted following elective and emergency surgery. Conclusions:These findings have implications for our understanding of the role of lactate in critically ill patients.
Correlation between Quantified Breast Densities from Digital Mammography and 18F‐FDG PET Uptake

Abstract: To correlate breast density quantified from digital mammograms with mean and maximum standardized uptake values (SUVs) from positron emission tomography (PET). This was a prospective study that included 56 women with a history of suspicion of breast cancer (mean age 49.2 ± 9.3 years), who underwent 18F‐fluoro‐2‐deoxyglucose (FDG)‐PET imaging of their breasts as well as digital mammography. A computer thresholding algorithm was applied to the contralateral nonmalignant breasts to quantitatively estimate the breast density on digital mammograms. The breasts were also classified into one of four Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System categories for density. Comparisons between SUV and breast density were made using linear regression and the Student’s t‐test. Linear regression of mean SUV versus average breast density showed a positive relationship with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.83. The quantified breast densities and mean SUVs were significantly greater for mammographically dense than nondense breasts (p < 0.0001 for both). The average quantified densities and mean SUVs of the breasts were significantly greater for premenopausal than postmenopausal patients (p < 0.05). 8/51 (16%) of the patients had maximum SUVs that equaled 1.6 or greater. There is a positive linear correlation between quantified breast density on digital mammography and FDG uptake on PET. Menopausal status affects the metabolic activity of normal breast tissue, resulting in higher SUVs in pre‐ versus postmenopausal patients.
Teaching and Research in Geography: An introduction

The symposium reported in these papers reviewed the complementary and conflicting roles of teaching and research. A pluralistic view of the combinations of teaching and research should be favoured and financially rewarded, given the wide range of sizes, histories and missions of departments of geography in the UK. Issues needing further debate and understanding include: the degree of correlation between teaching and research and the role and value of pedagogic research.
The Structure and Development of Self-Consciousness

The Structure and Development of Self-Consciousness is a collection of articles on selfconsciousness by psychologists, cognitive scientists and philosophers. In the preface Zahavi and Grunbaum state the two main aims of the collection as being, first, to demonstrate that self-consciousness is a complex phenomenon requiring an interdisciplinary approach and, second, to argue for the existence of a kind of selfconsciousness which is primitive, implicit, pre-reflective and bodily. In this review I will first give a summary of each of the articles in the collection, and then give an evaluation of it with these two aims in mind.
Process Characterization of the Reactive-Ion Etching of Borosilicate Glass for Microfluidic Channels

The ability to work with small amounts of fluids is an emerging technology that can greatly benefit the biomedical industry, diagnostics, and society as a whole. Typically, these microfluidic devices are fabricated using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Although it is optically clear, relatively inert, and easy to manipulate, PDMS does have its limitations. These include its tendency to swell when it comes in contact with certain chemicals and its hydrophobicity, which makes it difficult to analyze aqueous samples. Glass is an alternative material that addresses both issues. Etching is used to create these channels in glass. Wet etching procedures are typically isotropic and can lead to contamination. Dry etching is capable of producing anisotropic profiles, which is a desired trait. The purpose of this thesis was to characterize the process for the dry etching of borosilicate glass for microfluidic channels. Etch rate and surface roughness were studied, with partial pressure ratio (SF 6 :O 2) and RF power as the factors. After formulating a DOE, the glass wafers were etched, with aluminum as the etching mask. The etch rate and roughness were measured using a stylus profilometer and an ANOVA was generated to reveal any statistical significance between the treatments. There was a definite increase in etch rate with an increase in the SF 6 :O 2 ratio as an increase in fluorine atoms etched more of the material. An increase in RF power led to an increase in etch rate due to ionic bombardment. From the ANOVA analysis, partial pressure ratio and RF power did not have a significant effect on roughness. This may have been due to the high variability from the small sample size. From the sample means, there may have been a trend present. An increase in SF 6 :O 2 may have led to a higher roughness due to the amount of non-volatile compounds generated as more F atoms were available to react with the surface. For RF power, the sample means suggested that a higher RF power led to a lower roughness. If this were the case, it may have been due to the increase in ionic bombardment which was able to remove the non-volatile products that accumulated on the etched surface. Microscopic images of the etched surface revealed possible damage to the aluminum mask. The cause is unknown and could have occurred from various sources. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not be possible without the …
The Influence of Time, Sex and Geographic Factors on Levels of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoate in Human Serum over the Last 25 years

The Influence of Time, Sex and Geographic Factors on Levels of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoate in Human Serum over the Last 25 years: Kouji Harada, et al. Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine— Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are important perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in various applications. Recently, it has been shown that these chemicals are widespread in the environment, wildlife and humans. But the kinds of factors that affect their levels in serum are unclear, and it is also not clear whether exposure to them is increasing or not. To investigate the impacts of time, geographical location and sex on the levels of these chemicals, we measured PFOS and PFOA concentrations in human sera samples collected both historically and recently in Miyagi, Akita and Kyoto Prefectures in Japan. The PFOS and PFOA levels in sera [Geometric Mean (Geometric Standard Deviation)] (µg/L) in 2003 ranged from 3.5 (2.9) in Miyagi to 28.1 (1.5) in Kyoto for PFOS and from 2.8 (1.5) to 12.4 (1.4) for PFOA. Historical samples collected from females demonstrated that PFOS and PFOA concentrations have increased by factors of 3 and 14, respectively, over the past 25 yr. There are large sex differences in PFOS and PFOA concentrations in serum at all locations. Furthermore, there are predominant regional differences for both PFOS and PFOA concentrations. In Kyoto the concentrations of PFOA in dwellers who had lived in the Kinki area for more than 2 yr were significantly higher than in people who had recently moved into the area, in both sexes. This finding suggests that there are sources of PFOA in the Kinki area that have raised the PFOA serum levels of its inhabitants. Further studies are needed to elucidate these sources in the Kinki area of Japan.
Privacy protection in electronic education based on polymorphic pseudonymization

In [13] Dutch government proposes an identity scheme supporting personal data exchange of pupils with private e-textbook publishers. This design propagates sharing personal numbers of pupils among private parties violating the data minimisation principle in privacy laws. We describe a privacy friendly alternative, giving pupils (and parents) control on exchange of their personal data. Three generic forms based on homomorphic encryption are used as building blocks. These forms do not yield personal numbers, or even personal data from a legal perspective, and have strong, unlinkability properties. Only if required a school provides a party with a party-specific pseudonym identifying a pupil. For this the school is provided an encrypted pseudonym by a central party based on a polymorphic pseudonym formed by the school. Only intended parties, not even schools, have access to pseudonyms. Different publishers can send pupil test results to a school without being able to assess whether pupils are identical. We also describe support for privacy friendly attributes and user inspection as required by privacy laws.
The Dynamics of Public Opinion on Ethnic Profiling After 9/11

This study examines support for ethnic profiling in the United States as a counterterrorism tactic. It first compares support for counterterrorism profiling with support for profiling Black motorists. Then, it investigates whether the status of the profilee as a U.S. citizen of Arab or Middle Eastern appearance or as an immigrant alters either support for profiling or the determinants of that support. In both sets of analyses, the study investigates how competing ideas about the meaning of American identity shape opinions about profiling. Particular attention is paid to liberalism’s emphasis on the rights of citizenship and ethnoculturalism’s emphasis on the ascriptive boundaries of American identity. The results show that support for counterterrorism profiling is higher than support for profiling Black motorists, that people are more supportive of profiling immigrants than they are of profiling U.S. citizens, and that how people define what it means to be American is a powerful predictor of such support. The perspective promoted by the increasing number of radical activists on issues related to immigration—that being American means being a White European Christian—is the most powerful predictor of support for profiling. A liberal understanding of being American can offset some, but not all, of that support. The implications of these findings for future opinions and activism on post-9/11 issues are discussed.
Information und Kommunikation 2005: Ein Lagebericht und einige Zukunftsperspektiven

Mit dem vorliegenden Beitrag wollen die Mitglieder der foderativen Kommission „Information und Kommunikation“ (IuK) einen Bericht zur aktuellen Lage und zu moglichen Perspektiven geben. Unter dem Titel „Information und Kommunikation“ werden hier die strategisch relevanten Implikationen von Intranet und Internet behandelt, die fur die Wissenschaften zu einer tiefgreifenden Revolution gefuhrt haben. Waren noch vor rund 20 Jahren die wichtigsten Hilfsmittel von Wissenschaftlern Karteikasten, Schreibmaschinen, Sekretariate, Kopierer, Sonderdruckanforderungen und Fernleihbestellungen, hat sich diese Situation durch elektronische Moglichkeiten zur Information und Kommunikation radikal geandert. Heute geht es darum, mittels Computern aus einer schier uberbordenden Menge an Informationsangeboten die relevanten, wichtigen und hochwertigen auszuwahlen und bei der meist eigenhandigen Produktion wissenschaftlicher Texte am Computer zu nutzen. Noch nie waren so viele Informationen verfugbar wie heute, aber noch nie war zugleich das Bedurfnis nach qualifizierter Reduktion des Uberangebots so hoch. Auch die Moglichkeiten zur Publikation von Information sind durch das Internet auf vollig neue Beine gestellt worden: heute braucht man nicht zwingend einen Verleger, um wissenschaftliche Information zu distribuieren, sondern kann dies uber einen Server kostengunstig und mit hoher Effizienz in die eigene Hand nehmen. In diesem Beitrag wollen wir einige der aktuellen Entwicklungen aufgreifen und kommentieren sowie Vorschlage machen, wie unser Fach und wie die DGPs auf diese zum Teil sturmischen Entwicklungen reagieren kann. Wir beginnen mit einer kurzen Darstellung, wie die veranderten Strukturen im Bereich IuK nicht nur die Psychologie, sondern alle Bereiche der Wissenschaft grundlegend verandert haben. Es folgt der Versuch, den Status Quo zu skizzieren. Hierzu wollen wir verschiedene „Spieler“ auf dem IuK-Markt vorstellen, die dort gehandelten Produkte darstellen, die zu ihrer Bewertung herangezogenen Kriterien betrachten und schlieslich Empfehlungen und Losungsvorschlage behandeln.
TLDFS: A Distributed File System based on the Layered Structure

This paper presents a novel distributed file system TLDFS, which consists of two layers. One is the block device layer, which makes the distributed file system manage the consistency of data easily by choosing an appropriate granularity of lock. We implement the distributed interfaces and the new data organization at the block level, which is different from most distributed file systems. The other is the file system layer that consists of three parts: interconnecting module, locking module and distributed file system module. Our prototype system proves the feasibility of the two-layered structure and the experiments show several advantages of TLDFS.
Analysis and Experiments for IGBT, IEGT, and IGCT in Hybrid DC Circuit Breaker

As power semiconductor devices are the key components of hybrid DC circuit breakers (HCBs), how to select suitable devices is critical for the whole HCB design. First, this paper compared the general characteristics of press pack insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), injection-enhanced gate transistor (IEGT), and integrated gate commutated thyristor (IGCT). Then working conditions of devices were analyzed from the perspective of HCBs. According to these, vital features of devices including maximum turn-off current, on-state voltage, conduction ability, and robustness of power semiconductor devices were carefully analyzed and compared. Related experiments were implemented to compare maximum turn-off capability, and the 4.5 kV/3 kA IGBT/IEGT was able to turn off 19 and 22 kA respectively after 5-ms current conduction. Analysis and experiments indicated that IGCT was suitable for natural commutation low-voltage and low-current hybrid circuit breakers, due to its low on-state voltage and huge surge current conduction ability. Comparatively, IGBT and IEGT were more suitable for very high current interruption, and IEGT was the superior selection among available commercial devices. However, the interference should be considered in applications.