Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Italian-american Ethnic Concentration, Informal Social Control, And Urban Violent Crime: A Defended Neighborhoods Approach

This study examines the impact of white ethnic concentration on robbery and homicide in Chicago and New York City. As one of the first to disaggregate white ethnic populations, this study has the expectation that Italian-American concentration will have a stronger influence on robbery and homicide than any other white ethnic concentrations. This study is founded on prior qualitative research suggesting that the reputation of Italian-Americans influences the behavior of outsiders in their communities. The data show there is a significant and negative relationship between Italian-American concentration and the violent crimes robbery and homicide. This relationship only exists for white ethnic concentration with robbery. These patterns occur across both cities at three different aggregate levels. The results indicate that there may be particular characteristics about Italian-American ethnic concentrations which have dampening effects on the frequency of homicide and robbery in their communities; it is speculated that a reputation for Mafia involvement is one of the protective factors.
Boosting Titles does not Generally Improve Retrieval Effectiveness

The fields that compose structured documents such as web pages have been exploited to improve the effectiveness of information retrieval systems. Field-based retrieval methods assign different levels of importance (weights) to different fields, e.g., by boosting the score of a document when query terms are found in a specific field. An important question is how to decide which field should be boosted? It has been speculated that the title field should receive a higher weight. In this paper, we investigate whether boosting the title field of structured documents actually does improve retrieval effectiveness. Our results show that, on average, boosting titles does not improve retrieval effectiveness for field-based retrieval; this is both for ad-hoc web search and exploratory-based web search tasks. However, we do find that the boosting of titles does generally improve retrieval effectiveness for navigational queries and a small subset of ad-hoc queries. This result advocates for adaptive methods that selectively adjust boosting of specific fields based on the query.
Emergence of a Giant Component in Random Site Subgraphs of a d-Dimensional Hamming Torus

The d-dimensional Hamming torus is the graph whose vertices are all of the integer points inside an a_1 n X a_2 n X . X a_d n box in R^d (for constants a_1, ., a_d > 0), and whose edges connect all vertices within Hamming distance one. We study the size of the largest connected component of the subgraph generated by independently removing each vertex of the Hamming torus with probability 1-p. We show that if p=\lambda / n, then there exists \lambda_c > 0, which is the positive root of a degree d polynomial whose coefficients depend on a_1, . , a_d, such that for \lambda < \lambda_c the largest component has O(log n) vertices (a.a.s. as n \to \infty), and for \lambda > \lambda_c the largest component has (1-q) \lambda (\prod_i a_i) n^{d-1} + o(n^{d-1}) vertices and the second largest component has O(log n) vertices (a.a.s.). An implicit formula for q < 1 is also given. Surprisingly, the value of \lambda_c that we find is distinct from the critical value for the emergence of a giant component in the random edge subgraph of the Hamming torus. Additionally, we show that if p = c log n / n, then when c < (d-1) / (\sum a_i) the site subgraph of the Hamming torus is not connected, and when c > (d-1) / (\sum a_i) the subgraph is connected (a.a.s.). We also show that the subgraph is connected precisely when it contains no isolated vertices.
Student Satisfaction as a Predictor of Retention in a Professional Online For-Profit Higher Education Institution

This study expanded on prior satisfaction and retention research by exploring this relationship within the online for-proﬁt sector. An ex post facto design was utilized at an online for-proﬁt undergraduate institution with programs in the creative arts to explore the relationship between student satisfaction as measured by the Priorities Survey for Online Learners (PSOL) and subsequent student retention status that was collected one year after completing the survey. Point-biserial correlation and binary logistic regression tests were conducted on a sample of 2729 students that completed the PSOL and found no signiﬁcant relationships between overall satisfaction and satisfaction on subscales of the PSOL and subsequent retention status one year later. These tests were repeated at the item-level and the point-biserial correlation test found no signiﬁcant relationships. However, the binary logistic regression test found that three items signiﬁcantly predicted student retention one year later. Overall, the study concluded that student satisfaction is not a signiﬁcant predictor of subsequent student retention. Implications for practice within the online for-proﬁt sector are discussed.
A haptic needle manipulation simulator for chinese acupuncture learning and training

This paper presents a haptic needle manipulation simulator for Chinese acupuncture learning and training. Students can learn and practise acupuncture in the proposed 3D interactive virtual environment that supports force feedback interface for needle insertion. So that, students not only "see" but also "touch" the virtual patient. With the high performance computers, highly informative and flexible visualization of acupuncture points of various related meridian and collateral can be highlighted to guide the students during training. Such a virtual reality system can provide an interesting and effective learning environment for Chinese acupuncture.
Smartphones as Personal Profile Providers: Enhancing Mobile App Architectures

Smartphones have become major players in the consumption of cloud services. These services are usually employed to share information and to interact with other people. All this information is reused by marketing companies to create sociological profiles of the users. Users, however, often share similar pieces of information via different platforms. This entails an irrational consumption of the device's resources. In addition, if those pieces of information are not exactly the same, the sociological profiles created might be incomplete or even contradictory. The capabilities of current smartphones enable them to keep all the owner's information, and to provide services for accessing it. To achieve such a paradigm shift, new tools and platforms are needed. This communication succinctly describes Jet, a mobile application that allows users to communicate via their features and location. The use of this new model reduces the consumption of smartphone resources, and facilitates the creation of comprehensive sociological profiles.
Distributed interference management using Q-Learning in cognitive femtocell networks: New USRP-based implementation

Femtocell networks have become a promising solution in supporting high data rates for 5G systems, where cell densification is performed using the small femtocells. However, femtocell networks have many challenges. One of the major challenges of femtocell networks is the interference management problem, where deployment of femtocells in the range of macro-cells may degrade the performance of the macrocell. In this paper, we develop a new platform for studying interference management in distributed femtocell networks using reinforcement learning approach. We design a complete MAC protocol to perform distributed power allocation using Q-Learning algorithm, where both independent and cooperative learning approaches are applied across network nodes. The objective of the Q-Learning algorithms is to maximize aggregate femtocells capacity, while maintaining the QoS for the Macrocell users. Furthermore, we present the realization of the algorithms using GNURadio and USRP platforms. Performance evaluation are conducted in terms of macrocell capacity convergence to a target capacity and improvement of aggregate femtocells capacity.
Evaluating Reputation of Web Services under Rating Scarcity

With the proliferation of Web services, more and more functionally equivalent services are being published by service providers on the Web. Although more services mean more flexibility for consumers, it also increases the burden of choosing as consumers may have little or no past experience with the service they will interact with. Therefore, reputation systems have been proposed and are playing a crucial role in the service-oriented environment. Current reputation systems are mainly built upon the explicit feedback or rating given by consumers after experiencing the service. Unfortunately, services at the cold-start stage, prior to being rated, face the rating scarcity problem. In this paper, we focus on this problem and address it through a novel reputation model that uses the Elo algorithm to consider consumer-implicit information in a graph analysis approach. A theoretical analysis is conducted to identify the sufficient and necessary condition for the model to converge to a stable state. Furthermore, experiments confirm our model outperforms the widely adopted reputation algorithm in both accuracy and convergence in the situation of rating scarcity.
Effects of Vacancy Cluster Defects on Electrical and Thermodynamic Properties of Silicon Crystals

A first-principle plane-wave pseudopotential method based on the density function theory (DFT) was employed to investigate the effects of vacancy cluster (VC) defects on the band structure and thermoelectric properties of silicon (Si) crystals. Simulation results showed that various VC defects changed the energy band and localized electron density distribution of Si crystals and caused the band gap to decrease with increasing VC size. The results can be ascribed to the formation of a defect level produced by the dangling bonds, floating bonds, or high-strain atoms surrounding the VC defects. The appearance of imaginary frequencies in the phonon spectrum of defective Si crystals indicates that the defect-region structure is dynamically unstable and demonstrates phase changes. The phonon dispersion relation and phonon density of state were also investigated using density functional perturbation theory. The obtained Debye temperature (θ D) for a perfect Si crystal had a minimum value of 448 K at T = 42 K and a maximum value of 671 K at the high-temperature limit, which is consistent with the experimental results reported by Flubacher. Moreover, the Debye temperature decreased with increases in the VC size. VC defects had minimal effects on the heat capacity (C v) value when temperatures were below 150 K. As the temperature was higher than 150 K, the heat capacity gradually increased with increasing temperature until it achieved a constant value of 11.8 cal/cell·K. The heat capacity significantly decreased as the VC size increased. For a 2 × 2 × 2 superlattice Si crystal containing a hexagonal ring VC (HRVC10), the heat capacity decreased by approximately 17%.
Comparison of viscoplastic Properties for Polycarbonate, Polypropylene, and High Density Polyethylene

The viscoplastic behavior of high density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polycarbonate under uniaxial tensile loading at constant strain rate and large strains was studied. Standard ASTM samples of the polymers cast by injection molding were tested at room temperature and constant crosshead speed; testing was conducted in the range of 5 to 300 mm/min. A single constitutive relation which captures the plastic flow behavior of all three polymers was found as a function of strain and strain rate in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 s. The values of the model parameters for each polymer are presented. A relation for the yielding of the polymeric materials as a function of strain rate is also reported.
Attitude Change From Forewarning -- Its Relationship to the Listener's Choice, and the Listener's Prior Attitude Toward the Topic.

The present study seeks primarily to resolve a conflict in the literature regarding the cause of precommunication attitude change. One group of researchers favor a dissonance theory explanation for the shift arguing that attitudes change because listeners seek to relieve stress or dissonance in their minds caused by the knowledge that there exists an attitude toward a topic that is different from their own. Another theory maintains that the attitude shift occurs because listeners take a "wait and see" attitude in preparation for a speech. Using a Likert attitude measure 553 students in beginning speech classes were tested on their attitudes toward five target topics. From the results of this pretest, 272 subjects were selected who had moderate attitudes toward the topic of "Should Public Employees be Allowed to strike? " These students were called individually on the telephone and asked on an appointment basis to participate in a marketing survey for felt tipped pens. After conducting the survey and giving a free pen, the researcher administered the experimental treatment. One half of the subjects were told they had no choice but to stay for a persuasive speech and an "attitude survey" while the other half were told they did have a choice. Within each of these groups, one half of the subjects were told that the speech by a credible speaker advocated the right of public employees to strike while the other half of the
Can a microscopic stochastic model explain the emergence of pain cycles in patients?

A stochastic model is introduced here to investigate the molecular mechanisms which trigger the perception of pain. The action of analgesic drug compounds is discussed in a dynamical context, where the competition with inactive species is explicitly accounted for. Finite size effects inevitably perturb the mean-field dynamics: oscillations in the amount of bound receptors are spontaneously manifested, driven by the noise which is intrinsic to the system under scrutiny. These effects are investigated both numerically, via stochastic simulations, and analytically, through a large size expansion. The claim that our findings could provide a consistent interpretative framework for explaining the emergence of cyclic behaviors in response to analgesic treatments is substantiated.
Online Scheduling of Applications on 3D Stacked Large Chip Multiprocessor

Performance of 3D stacked memory is impressive in multicore system. In three dimensional stacked large chip multiprocessor (3D LCMP), memory and memory network are integrated on top of the processors and processor network. In this paper, we have proposed an online strategy for mapping application's tasks and data onto 3D LCMP platforms. To meet performance constraints every application demand a set of resources (may be number of processor and amount of memory). An important criteria in allocation is to allocate all required resources as near as possible to reduce the communication overhead. We have proposed approximate nearest approach to allocate resources of a layer with respect to other resource layer (either processor or memory). In our work, we have compared three different strategies to allocate resources to application: in first one processor allocation is preferred over memory allocation, in second one memory allocation is preferred over processor and in third one priority is set depend on requirement of applications. Our experimental analysis shows 21% in average and up to 30% improvement over state of art one layer resource allocation. On demand priority based resource allocation improve 26% over simple processor or memory priority based resource allocation.
Gender differences in career mobility-an example from the wholesale and retail trade by

This paper contributes to our understanding of gender differences in career mobility by focusing on a specific industry, the wholesale and retail trade, and examining intra-industry mobility as well as inter-industry mobility. We analyse whether women tend to get trapped in low-level jobs by addressing the following research questions: i) Are there gender differences in career mobility in the wholesale and retail trade? ii ) Are there differences in intra-industry and inter-industry career mobility patterns, and if so, are the differences gender based? The questions are analysed by means of event history analysis using Swedish work history data, including individual careers from the 1950s to the beginning of the 1990s. We find that there are gender differences in career mobility. The chances of women moving up within the wholesale and retail trade are almost non-existent. In practice women enjoy one type of career mobility only, i.e. moving to a better job out of the industry, in contrast to men who enjoy both types of mobility.
Targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor system to prevent ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

BACKGROUND Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) typically occurs when ovaries are primed with FSH/LH and subsequently exposed to hCG. The ultimate pathophysiological step underlying this clinical picture is increased vascular permeability (VP). METHODS A search of the literature was carried out using PubMed and the authors' files. RESULTS In rodents and humans, the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) mRNA increases during ovarian stimulation. With the administration of hCG, the expression of each rises to a maximum. Expression of VEGF/VEGFR-2 mRNAs correlates with enhanced VP, with both peaking 48 h following an injection of hCG. Immunohistochemistry shows the presence of VEGF and VEGFR-2 proteins in the granulosa-lutein and endothelial cells of the entire corpus luteum. Increased VP may be mediated through adhesion molecules such as VE-cadherin, which is involved in the loosening of endothelial intercellular junctions. These findings regarding the pathophysiology of OHSS suggest that the syndrome can be prevented by inducing ovulation with LH or GnRH analogues, which prevent VEGF overexpression. Also, co-administration of a dopamine agonist inhibits phosphorylation of the receptor VEGFR-2. In a trial of 69 oocyte donors, the incidence of moderate OHSS was 20% with the dopamine agonist cabergoline and 44% with a placebo (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS The pathophysiological mechanisms involved in OHSS suggest potential preventive approaches, but larger trials are necessary for evaluating the efficacy and safety of the pharmaco-prevention of OHSS.
The Eld Matching Problem: Algorithms and Applications

To combine information from heterogeneous sources, equivalent data in the multiple sources must be identi-ed. This task is the eld matching problem. Specii-cally, the task is to determine whether or not two syntactic values are alternative designations of the same semantic entity. For example the addresses Dept. of do designate the same department. This paper describes three eld matching algorithms, and evaluates their performance on real-world datasets. One proposed method is the well-known Smith-Waterman algorithm for comparing DNA and protein sequences. Several applications of eld matching in knowledge discovery are described brieey, including webfind, which is a new software tool that discovers scientiic papers published on the worldwide web. webfind uses external information sources to guide its search for authors and papers. Like many other worldwide web tools, webfind needs to solve the eld matching problem in order to navigate between information sources.
A miRNA target interaction filter based on Markov model

Computational methods for miRNA target prediction have already provided a large amount of potential targets, but many of them suffer from high false positive rates, therefore a post-processing filter is needed for the predicted targets. This paper proposed a statistical method based on first-order non-homogeneous Markov chain to explore the base-pairing complementarity characteristics between miRNAs and their targets. The parameters of the model were estimated by the data set of the known miRNA-mRNA duplexes. By using our model, the true miRNA:mRNA interaction pairs can be well distinguished from the permutation pairs. It showed that our method can be an efficient post-processing filter for the predicted miRNA targets.
A4

Edge aliasing continues to be one of the most prominent problems in real-time graphics, e.g., in games. We present a novel algorithm that uses shared memory between the GPU and the CPU so that these two units can work in concert to solve the edge aliasing problem rapidly. Our system renders the scene as usual on the GPU with one sample per pixel. At the same time, our novel edge aliasing algorithm is executed asynchronously on the CPU. First, a sparse set of important pixels is created. This set may include pixels with geometric silhouette edges, discontinuities in the frame buffer, and pixels/polygons under user-guided artistic control. After that, the CPU runs our sparse rasterizer and fragment shader, which is parallel and SIMD:ified, and directly accesses shared resources (e.g., render targets created by the GPU). Our system can render a scene with shadow mapping with adaptive anti-aliasing with 16 samples per important pixel faster than the GPU with 8 samples per pixel using multi-sampling anti-aliasing. Since our system consists of an extensive code base, it will be released to the public for exploration and usage.
The Oral History of Evaluation

Over a period spanning 8 years, the Oral History Project Team has conducted interviews with individuals who have made significant contributions to the scholarship, practice, and profession of evaluation. In 2006, Robin Miller, Chris Coryn, and Daniela Schroeter conducted an oral history interview with Jim Sanders at the Evaluation Center that is based at the Western Michigan University. The interview was transcribed by Sara Cottrill and Peter Hubbard and edited by Jim Sanders and Robin Miller. James R. Sanders is an emeritus professor of education and past Associate Director of The Evaluation Center at the Western Michigan University. A former president of the American Evaluation Association (AEA), Jim and Blaine Worthen produced one of the earliest comprehensive textbooks on evaluation (Worthen & Sanders, 1973, 1987). Jody Fitzpatrick joined Worthen and Sanders on the second and third editions of the book (Fitzpatrick, Sanders, & Worthen, 2004; Worthen, Sanders, & Fitzpatrick, 1997). The book remains among the best selling introductory texts on evaluation. It is distinct from its competitors in its coverage of the wide variety of approaches to evaluation evident in modern evaluation practice and in its practical orientation. The book takes a view of evaluation that is distinctively eclectic in its presentation of the role of methods in evaluation. Jim is among those who have served as a member (1975–1989) and chair (1989–1999) of the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. He authored the second edition of these globally influential standards (the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, 1994). His other influential publications address educational evaluation and applied performance testing. During his tenure as the Director of Evaluation at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Jim developed and nurtured novel methods of evaluating foundation portfolios, notably the cluster evaluation approach. Jim’s more recent work advocates a vision of evaluation as an