Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time perspective: a new construct for motivation in second language learning

Studies of motivation in ESL learners have proliferated in recent years (Dornyei, 2005). However, there is an aspect of motivation and self-regulation that, despite having received a good deal of attention in general psychological studies, has not been addressed with regard to ESL learners, namely, time perspective. Time perspective refers to the ways in which an individual views his past, present, and future and how those conceptions of time influence motivation and achievement. Research suggests that an individual’s perspective on time can either positively or negatively affect his attitude towards present tasks and responsibilities (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999). In this paper I will review the psychological theory and literature on time perspective and describe the results of a preliminary study designed to develop an instrument with which to explore time perspective in Japanese university students. Researchers in psychology have developed various theories concerning the ways individuals conceptualize themselves within time and the effect that these conceptualizations have on behavior. These theories include the ideas of possible selves, the temporally extended self, time orientation, and temporal orientation (Leondari, 2007). Some recent psychological theorizing on time has centered on psychometric measurement of human time perspective and its effect on motivation, self-regulation, and happiness (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999). Within this perspective, there has been research that has specifically investigated attitudes towards time in educational contexts (Kauffman & Husman, 2004). However, to date, there have not been any studies that have attempted to apply this psychometric analytical assessment of time perspective to the analysis of second-language learners’ motivation and level of achievement.
The Beginning of History: Value Struggles and Global Capital

Preface Chapter 1 The beginning of history PART I. Orientations: co-production of livelihoods as contested terrain Chapter 2 Values struggles Chapter 3 Capital as a Social Force Chapter 4 With no limits Chapter 5 Production and reproduction Chapter 6 Production, reproduction and global loops Part II. Global Loops: some explorations on the contemporary work machine Chapter 7 Enclosures and Disciplinary Integration Chapter 8 Global Loops Chapter 9 Global work machine Part III. Context, Contest and Text: discourses and their clashing practices Chapter 10 Marx and the enclosures we face Chapter 11 Enclosures with no limits Chapter 12 The "Law of Value," Immaterial Labour, and the "centre of power Chapter 13 The Valuing and the Measuring of Capital Chapter 14 Market Freedom and the Prison: Hayek and Bentham Chapter 15 Fractal-Panopticon and Ubiquitous Revolution Part IV. "By Asking question we walk": the Problematics of Decoupling Chapter 16 The "Outside" Chapter 17 Commons References Endnotes Index
Broadband doa estimation using convolutional neural networks trained with noise signals

A convolution neural network (CNN) based classification method for broadband DOA estimation is proposed, where the phase component of the short-time Fourier transform coefficients of the received microphone signals are directly fed into the CNN and the features required for DOA estimation are learned during training. Since only the phase component of the input is used, the CNN can be trained with synthesized noise signals, thereby making the preparation of the training data set easier compared to using speech signals. Through experimental evaluation, the ability of the proposed noise trained CNN framework to generalize to speech sources is demonstrated. In addition, the robustness of the system to noise, small perturbations in microphone positions, as well as its ability to adapt to different acoustic conditions is investigated using experiments with simulated and real data.
Polymeric Materials for Gene Delivery and DNA Vaccination

Gene delivery holds great potential for the treatment of many different diseases. Vaccination with DNA holds particular promise, and may provide a solution to many technical challenges that hinder traditional vaccine systems including rapid development and production and induction of robust cell‐mediated immune responses. However, few candidate DNA vaccines have progressed past preclinical development and none have been approved for human use. This Review focuses on the recent progress and challenges facing materials design for nonviral DNA vaccine drug delivery systems. In particular, we highlight work on new polymeric materials and their effects on protective immune activation, gene delivery, and current efforts to optimize polymeric delivery systems for DNA vaccination.
A Dichotomy Theorem within Schaefer for the Boolean Connectivity Problem

Gopalan et al. studied in [14] connectivity properties of the solution-space of Boolean formulas, and investigated complexity issues on connectivity problems in Schaefer’s framework [26]. A set S of logical relations is Schaefer if all relations in S are either bijunctive, Horn, dual Horn, or affine. They conjectured that the connectivity problem for Schaefer is in P . We disprove their conjecture by showing that it is coNP-complete for Horn and dual Horn relations. This, together with the results in [14], implies a dichotomy theory within Schaefer and a trichotomy theory for the connectivity problem. We also show that the connectivity problem for bijunctive relations can be solved in O(min{n|φ|, T (n)}) time, where n denotes the number of variables, φ denotes the corresponding 2-CNF formula, and T (n) denotes the time needed to compute the transitive closure of a directed graph of n vertices. Furthermore, we investigate a tractable aspect of Horn and dual Horn relations.
Glycosylation of two recombinant human uterine tissue plasminogen activator variants carrying an additional N-glycosylation site in the epidermal-growth-factor-like domain.

Recombinant human uterine tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) glycosylation mutants carrying an additional N-glycosylation site in the epidermal-growth-factor-like domain due to the replacement of either Tyr67 by Asn (YN-tPA) or Gly60 by Ser (GS-tPA) were expressed in mouse epithelial cells (C127) in the presence of [6-3H]glucosamine. Glycopeptides comprising individual glycosylation sites were isolated and oligosaccharides attached were liberated by treatment with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H or peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl)asparagine amidase F. Oligosaccharide alditols obtained after reduction were either directly characterized by high-pH anion-exchange chromatography (high-mannose and hybrid-type glycans) or preparatively subfractionated after enzymic desialylation and separation from sulphated asialooligosaccharides (complex-type sugar chains). Individual (sub)fractions of glucans were studied by methylation analysis, liquid secondary-ion mass spectrometry and, in part, by exoglycosidase digestion, whereas corresponding deglycosylated peptides were identified by amino acid analysis and N-terminal amino acid sequencing. The results revealed that Asn117 of YN-tPA carried exclusively high-mannose-type glycans with five to nine mannose residues similar to wild-type tPA expressed in this cell line [Pfeiffer, G. , Schmidt, M. , Strube, K. -H. & Geyer, R. (1989) Eur. J. Biochem. 186, 273-286]. In contrast, Asn117 of GS-tPA carried only small amounts (about 25%) of high-mannose and hybrid-type species and predominantly complex-type sugar chains (about 75%) which were partially incomplete and mostly devoid of fucose. Newly introduced N-glycosylation sites at Asn67 (YN-tPA) or Asn58 (GS-tPA) as well as those at Asn184 and Asn448 were solely substituted by complex-type glycans. Each carbohydrate attachment site displayed a peculiar oligosaccharide pattern with regard to branching and substitution by Gal alpha 3-residues, sulphate groups, intersecting GlcNAc and lactosamine repeats. Our study clearly demonstrates that creation of a new glycosylation site at Asn58 influenced the oligosaccharide processing and, hence, the glycosylation pattern at Asn117, whereas introduction of a new site at Asn67 did not. The relative amounts of complex-type glycans at Asn117 of GS-tPA correlated with the degree of carbohydrate substitution of Asn58. Therefore, it can be concluded that the presence of a sugar chain at the position and not the Gly to Ser mutation itself is responsible for the observed alteration of GS-tPA glycosylation.
Explaining complex codon usage patterns with selection for translational efficiency, mutation bias, and genetic drift

The genetic code is redundant with most amino acids using multiple codons. In many organisms, codon usage is biased toward particular codons. Understanding the adaptive and nonadaptive forces driving the evolution of codon usage bias (CUB) has been an area of intense focus and debate in the fields of molecular and evolutionary biology. However, their relative importance in shaping genomic patterns of CUB remains unsolved. Using a nested model of protein translation and population genetics, we show that observed gene level variation of CUB in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be explained almost entirely by selection for efficient ribosomal usage, genetic drift, and biased mutation. The correlation between observed codon counts within individual genes and our model predictions is 0.96. Although a variety of factors shape patterns of CUB at the level of individual sites within genes, our results suggest that selection for efficient ribosome usage is a central force in shaping codon usage at the genomic scale. In addition, our model allows direct estimation of codon-specific mutation rates and elongation times and can be readily applied to any organism with high-throughput expression datasets. More generally, we have developed a natural framework for integrating models of molecular processes to population genetics models to quantitatively estimate parameters underlying fundamental biological processes, such a protein translation.
Partially Systematic Rate 1/2 Turbo Codes

Partially systematic parallel concatenated (turbo) codes of rate 1/2 are considered. These are generated from a classical rate 1/3 turbo code by puncturing both the parity bits and the systematic bits. The so-called “error-floors” of the resulting codes are lower than those of their systematic counterparts. For some puncturing patterns, even the “waterfall region” is shifted to lower signal-to-noise ratios. Hence, the performance of rate 1/2 turbo codes can be enhanced by simply spreading the puncturing over the parity and the systematic bits without increasing encoding and decoding complexity.
Community-based evaluation of immigrant tuberculosis screening using interferon γ release assays and tuberculin skin testing: observational study and economic analysis

Background UK tuberculosis (TB) notifications are rising due to disease in the immigrant population. National screening guidelines have been revised but cost-effectiveness analyses are hampered by the lack of data on the comparative performance of tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) and interferon γ release assays (IGRAs) in immigrants. Methods Three-way evaluation of TSTs and two IGRAs (QuantiFERON Gold in-tube (QFN-GIT) and T-SPOT.TB) in immigrants aged ≥16 years to quantify test positivity, concordance and factors associated with positivity. Yields were computed at different incidence thresholds and the relative cost-effectiveness of screening was estimated using different latent TB infection (LTBI) screening modalities at varying incidence thresholds with or without port-of-arrival chest x-ray (CXR). Results 231 immigrants were included; median age 29 (IQR 24–37). TSTs were accepted by 80.9%, read in 93.5% and 30.3% were positive – QFN-GIT and T-SPOT.TB positive in 16.6% and 22.5% respectively. Positive TSTs, QFN-GIT and T-SPOT.TB were independently associated with increasing TB incidence in immigrants' countries of origin (p=0.007, 0.007, 0.037 respectively). Implementing current guidance (threshold 40/100 000 per year) would identify 98–100% of LTBIs (depending on test) but entail testing 97–99% of the cohort; screening at 150/100 000 per year would identify 49–71% of LTBIs but only entail screening half the cohort. The two most cost-effective screening strategies were no port-of-entry chest radiography and screen with single-step QFN-GIT at 250/100 000 per year (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER)) £21 565.3/case averted); and no port-of-entry CXR and screen with single-step QFN-GIT at 150/100 000 per year (averted additional 7.8 TB cases; ICER £31 867.1/case averted). Conclusions UK immigrant screening could cost-effectively and safely eliminate mandatory CXR on arrival by emphasising systematic screening for LTBI with single-step IGRA. Intermediate incidence thresholds balance the need to identify as many imported LTBIs as possible against limited service capacity.
Online Reinforcement Learning for Real-Time Exploration in Continuous State and Action Markov Decision Processes

This paper presents a new method to learn online policies in continuous state, continuous action, model-free Markov decision processes, with two properties that are crucial for practical applications. First, the policies are implementable with a very low computational cost: once the policy is computed, the action corresponding to a given state is obtained in logarithmic time with respect to the number of samples used. Second, our method is versatile: it does not rely on any a priori knowledge of the structure of optimal policies. We build upon the Fitted Q-iteration algorithm which represents the $Q$-value as the average of several regression trees. Our algorithm, the Fitted Policy Forest algorithm (FPF), computes a regression forest representing the Q-value and transforms it into a single tree representing the policy, while keeping control on the size of the policy using resampling and leaf merging. We introduce an adaptation of Multi-Resolution Exploration (MRE) which is particularly suited to FPF. We assess the performance of FPF on three classical benchmarks for reinforcement learning: the "Inverted Pendulum", the "Double Integrator" and "Car on the Hill" and show that FPF equals or outperforms other algorithms, although these algorithms rely on the use of particular representations of the policies, especially chosen in order to fit each of the three problems. Finally, we exhibit that the combination of FPF and MRE allows to find nearly optimal solutions in problems where $\epsilon$-greedy approaches would fail.
Integrated Simulation Platform for Optimized Building Operations

In order to develop an integrated system that can optimise building operations, all facets of monitoring, control and reconfiguration need to be integrated. To achieve this, we need to develop an integrated system model, together with associated sub-system interfaces. This links the low-level wireless/wired systems monitoring with multi-level control, building information management and user-preference inputs. In this paper we describe an integrated simulation platform that partially fulfils such objectives. We detail through a case study an integrated simulation platform allowing testing, refinement and optimization of the design at an early stage. The paper provides a detailed simulation results and outlines the future works.
Segment‐specific branching patterns of single vestibulospinal tract axons arising from the lateral vestibular nucleus in the cat: A PHA‐L tracing study

The purpose of the present study was to detail the spinal cord (SC) trajectories and arborization patterns of vestibulospinal axons descending from the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN). An anterograde neural tracer, Phaseolus vulgaris‐leucoagglutinin (PHA‐L), was focally injected into the right‐side LVN in 8 cats. Their subsequent survival times varied from 4 days to 12 weeks. The labeled axons were found mainly in the brainstem after 4–5 days and in successively more caudal spinal segments after longer survival times: i.e., in C1–T2 after 2–3 weeks, in C3–T11 after 6–7 weeks, and in T7–S1 after 10–12 weeks. The trajectories of 28 single, thick (diameter ≥2.4 μm) lateral vestibulospinal tract (LVST) axons were traced from serial transverse sections of the SC from C1–8 (n = 10), T1–9 (n = 11), and T11–L7 (n = 7). In the cervical segments, the LVST axons gave off collateral fibers, which terminated mainly in Rexed's laminae VII–VIII. The terminal‐field patterns of these collaterals differed from one stem axon to another. In the thoracic segments, the terminal‐field patterns from a given LVST axon were similar at each segmental level, i.e., a few main branches with or without short side branches. At the L3–5 midlumbar level, the collaterals usually arborized more extensively, such that their terminal fields occupied a much greater region of laminae VII–VIII. In contrast, at the L6–7 lower lumbar level, collaterals arising from thin axons (diameter <1.0 μm) tended to innervate, with even more extensive arborization, the medial part of the lamina VIII. These results revealed common and segment‐specific collateral distribution patterns of LVST axons along the full extent of the spinal neuraxis. J. Comp. Neurol. 414:80–96, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Instant Weighted Probability Model to Guarantee QoS in IEEE 802.16e Scenario

The IEEE 802.16 protocol is one of the most promising technologies in recent years, especially in its recent version that specifies user mobility support. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a scenario characterized by this protocol and the presence of mobile users. The first goal is to create a model that can describe the time variant channel behaviour in terms of probability values, i.e. such as: what is the probability of receiving a wrong packet on the receiver side. The second goal is to use the model forecast to guarantee QoS to every type of application. In literature there is a great diffusion of Markov chain based models and of other kind of model, as ARMA or filter model, to describe channel behaviour, but none of these is independent of scenario configurations, and also none has been tested with a realistic dynamic scenario. As a consequence we have attempted to create a new model that can be used independently of the channel configuration to ensure compliance with the QoS bounds.
Binding of [99mTc]TRODAT-1 to dopamine transporters in patients with Parkinson's disease and in healthy volunteers.

UNLABELLED [99mTc]TRODAT-1 is a radiolabeled tropane that binds dopamine transporters. The primary goal of this study was to determine whether its regional cerebral distribution could differentiate between patients with Parkinson's disease and healthy human volunteers. METHODS The sample consisted of 42 patients with Parkinson's disease, 23 age-matched controls, and 38 healthy adults younger than 40 y old. SPECT scans of the brain were acquired on a triple-head gamma camera 3-4 h after the intravenous injection of 740 MBq (20 mCi) [99mTc]TRODAT-1. Mean counts per pixel were measured manually in subregions of the basal ganglia and normalized to the mean background counts to give specific uptake values ([SUVs] approximately k3/k4). Patient and control groups were also compared with automated statistical parametric mapping techniques. Logistic discriminant analyses were performed to determine the optimum uptake values for differentiating patients from age-matched controls. RESULTS Quantitative image analysis showed that the group mean SUVs in patients were less than the mean values in controls for all regions (all Ps < 0.000001). There was overlap in the caudate as well as in the anterior-most portion of the putamen, but not in the posterior putamen, even when the asymptomatic sides of 5 patients with clinically defined hemi-Parkinson's disease were factored in. CONCLUSION The findings indicate that Parkinson's disease can be detected with [99mTc]TRODAT by simply inspecting the images for uptake in the posterior putamen. Appropriate asymmetries seem to be visible with quantification in patients with clinically defined hemi-Parkinson's disease, even though changes in the putamen contralateral to the clinically unaffected side in these patients appear to precede the development of symptoms.
Damping Properties of Shape Memory Alloys During Phase Transformation

A high damping capacity is considered as one of the important functional properties of shape memory alloys. Those properties are related to a thermoelastic martensitic transformation. As a consequence of this transformation, the internal friction or damping can be investigated for three different states: 1. during thermal transformation cycling, 2. during martensite induced strain cycling at constant temperature, 3. in the martensitic state. The difficulty of formulating a unified theory to those three approaches is related to the complexity of the microstructure. Phase boundaries, dislocations, precipitates, impurities and point-defects interact strongly with each other, thereby influencing the macroscopic observation. However, improved models have been recently formulated to describe the observed internal friction during transformation, taking into account the change in defect mobility. This has also lead to a new approach of analyzing the observed damping in an amplitude dependent and amplitude independent part. Special attention is also given to superelastic damping with the aim of improving earthquake resistance of constructions, concentrating reversible hysteretic behaviour in detailed regions of the structure. Moreover, new relations between other functional properties and the internal friction of the martensite have been established. This paper will describe the recent findings, the importance of the results, fundamentally and practically, concurrently pointing to some interesting topics for further research.
Increased Frequency of Tim-3 Expressing T Cells Is Associated with Symptomatic West Nile Virus Infection

More than a decade after West Nile virus (WNV) entered North America, and despite a significant increase in reported cases during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, no treatment or vaccine for humans is available. Although antiviral T cells contribute to the control of WNV, little is known about their regulation during acute infection. We analyzed the expression of Tim-3 and PD-1, two recently identified T cell negative immune checkpoint receptors, over the course of WNV infection. Symptomatic WNV+ donors exhibited higher frequencies of Tim-3+ cells than asymptomatic subjects within naïve/early differentiated CD28+/–CD57–CD4+ and differentiated CD28–CD57–CD8+ T cells. Our study links Tim-3-expression on T cells during acute WNV infection with the development of symptomatic disease, suggesting Tim-3 and its ligands could be targeted therapeutically to alter anti-WNV immunity and improve disease outcome.
Flash Drive Lifespan *is* a Problem

When flash was introduced, wear-out was a known problem. Over time, a number of techniques have been developed to estimate the expected number of program/erase cycles under typical usage patterns, and sufficiently over-provision the cells such that the device meets its expected lifespan, even if individual cells fail. This paper started as a simple experiment: measuring whether the lifespan of flash devices in smartphones and other mobile devices, match the estimates. To our surprise, we find that, in a matter of days, simple, unprivileged applications can render the drive of several smartphones (and thus, the phone) inoperable. This result is concerning, as it means that installing malicious or poorly-written software could destroy the device itself. We experimentally demonstrate the problem, discuss reasons why it occurs, and consider potential solutions.