Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Positive Illusions in the Academic Context

In the present research, we examined academic self-enhancement in students (N = 264) followed longitudinally through 4 years of college. We used social comparison (i.e., better-than-average ratings) and self-insight (i.e., criterion-based) approaches to assess the degree to which students self-enhanced in their self-perceptions of academic ability, with SAT scores, high school grade point average (GPA), and college GPA used as criterion measures. We also examined ethnic variability in academic self-enhancement. We found that academic self-enhancement (a) increased or decreased over the 4 years of college, depending on its operationalization, (b) tended to be adaptive according to social comparison indices, and (c) demonstrated a trajectory that differed by ethnicity, but ethnicity did not moderate the effect of academic self-enhancement on outcomes. We discuss the implications of the findings for debates about the adaptive value of self-enhancement, the magnitude of cultural differences, and how best to conceptualize and operationalize the construct.
The Demographic Challenge: Aging and Depopulation and their Consequences for E-Government - A Case Study

E-Government is gaining in importance due to rising demands of citizens towards their local administration. At the same time demographic tendencies of depopulation and aging accelerate the need for an inclusive E-Government strategy, reorientation of existing services, and an increased focus on cost reduction. Cooperation between municipalities can be a promising approach to reduce costs and thus deal with major challenges of demographic transition in both front office and back office. Our exploratory single case study analysis introduces auspicious solutions related to these aspects and discusses in how far they might be applied to other settings.
Effect of hormonal contraception on the function of plasmacytoid dendritic cells and distribution of immune cell populations in the female reproductive tract.

Objective: Epidemiological evidence suggests an association between the use of hormonal contraception and an increased risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases including HIV-1. We sought to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying the effect of hormonal contraception on the immune system. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: To delineate the biological mechanisms underlying the effect of hormonal contraceptives on the immune system, we analyzed the functional capacity of circulating plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), the distribution of vaginal immune cell populations, and the systemic and genital levels of immune mediators in women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), NuvaRing, or combined oral contraceptives (COC). Results: The use of DMPA or NuvaRing was associated with reduced capacity of circulating pDCs to produce interferon (IFN)- a and tumor necrosis (TNF- a ) in response to TLR-9 stimulation. Systemic levels of IFN- a and cervicovaginal ﬂ uid levels of IFN- a , CXCL10, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor were signi ﬁ cantly lower in DMPA users compared to control volunteers not using hormonal contraception. The density of CD207 + Langerhans cells in the vaginal epithelium was reduced in NuvaRing and combined oral contraceptive users but not in DMPA users. Conclusions: The presented evidence suggests that the use of some types of hormonal contraception is associated with reduced functional capacity of circulating pDCs and altered immune environment in the female reproductive tract. 2015;68:511
Working Paper Series The Determinants of the Flow of Funds of Managed Portfolios : Mutual Funds versus Pension Funds

Due to differences in financial sophistication and agency relationships, we posit that investors use different criteria to select portfolio managers in the retail mutual fund and fiduciary pension fund industry segments. We provide evidence on investors’ manager selection criteria by estimating the relation between manager asset flow and performance. We find that pension fund clients use quantitatively sophisticated measures like Jensen’s alpha, tracking error, and outperformance of a market benchmark. Pension clients also punish poorly performing managers by withdrawing assets under management. In contrast, mutual fund investors use raw return performance and flock disproportionately to recent winners but do not withdraw assets from recent losers. Mutual fund manager flow is significantly positively related to Jensen’s alpha, a seemingly anomalous result in light of a relatively unsophisticated mutual fund client base. We provide preliminary evidence, however, that this relation is driven by a high correlation between Jensen’s alpha and widely available summary performance measures, such as Morningstar’s star rating. By documenting differences in the flow-performance relation, we contribute to the growing literature linking fund manager behavior to the implicit incentives to increase assets under management. We show that several forces combine to weaken the incentive for pension fund managers to engage in the type of risk-shifting behavior identified in the mutual fund literature. JEL classification: G2, G1, L1
STRUCTURAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THERMALLY EVAPORATED Bi2Se3 THIN FILM

Bismuth selenide thin films were deposited thermally on to well cleaned glass substrates at a pressure of 10 -6 torr. Thickness of the samples were determined using quartz crystal monitor and it was found to be 320 nm. Structure of the samples were analyzed using Shimadzu 6000 X-ray diffractometer(XRD). The diffraction pattern revealed the microcrystalline nature of the film with hexagonal structure. From the diffractogram, microstructural and the lattice parameters were calculated. Surface morphology of the film was determined using scanning electron microscopy(SEM). on the basis of transmission spectra obtained in the wavelength range of 400 – 2500 nm, type of transition and band gap of the films were estimated.
Central corneal thickness as a risk factor for advanced glaucoma damage.

OBJECTIVE To determine if central corneal thickness (CCT) is related to the level of glaucoma severity at the initial examination. METHODS The initial visit to a glaucoma specialist by consecutive patients with primary open-angle glaucoma from 1997 to 2002 was reviewed retrospectively. Each patient's age, sex, race, family history of glaucoma, number of glaucoma medications, visual acuity, spherical equivalent, intraocular pressure, CCT, visual field data, and vertical and horizontal cup-disc ratios were analyzed. RESULTS Three hundred fifty eyes of 190 patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Central corneal thickness was significantly lower in blacks (mean, 537 microm) than in whites (mean, 556 microm). Lower CCT was significantly associated with worsened Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study score, worsened mean deviation of visual field, increased vertical and horizontal cup-disc ratios, and increased number of glaucoma medications. In multivariate analysis, lower CCT was significantly associated with worsened Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study score, worsened mean deviation of visual field, and increased vertical and horizontal cup-disc ratios. CONCLUSIONS Central corneal thickness is a powerful clinical factor in determining glaucoma severity at the initial examination by a specialist. Measuring CCT may aid the ophthalmologist in identification of glaucoma patients at high risk for progression.
Official American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Clinical Practice Guidelines: Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Adults and Children

Background. Individuals infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) may develop symptoms and signs of disease (tuberculosis disease) or may have no clinical evidence of disease (latent tuberculosis infection [LTBI]). Tuberculosis disease is a leading cause of infectious disease morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet many questions related to its diagnosis remain. Methods. A task force supported by the American Thoracic Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Infectious Diseases Society of America searched, selected, and synthesized relevant evidence. The evidence was then used as the basis for recommendations about the diagnosis of tuberculosis disease and LTBI in adults and children. The recommendations were formulated, written, and graded using the Grading, Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Results. Twenty-three evidence-based recommendations about diagnostic testing for latent tuberculosis infection, pulmonary tuberculosis, and extrapulmonary tuberculosis are provided. Six of the recommendations are strong, whereas the remaining 17 are conditional. Conclusions. These guidelines are not intended to impose a standard of care. They provide the basis for rational decisions in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in the context of the existing evidence. No guidelines can take into account all of the often compelling unique individual clinical circumstances.
A Second-Screen Meets Hypervideo, Delivering Content Through HbbTV

In this paper two improvements for the Hypervideo platform, used to represent augmented reality on Interactive TVs thanks to the hypervideo concept, are presented: the introduction of a second-screen application to the platform, enabling the user to obtain the additional information on its handheld device and delivering the video track through the broadcast channel, thanks to the HbbTV capability.
Wearable-Based Human Activity Recognition Using an IoT Approach

This paper presents a novel system based on the Internet of Things (IoT) to Human Activity Recognition (HAR) by monitoring vital signs remotely. We use machine learning algorithms to determine the activity done within four pre-established categories (lie, sit, walk and jog). Meanwhile, it is able to give feedback during and after the activity is performed, using a remote monitoring component with remote visualization and programmable alarms. This system was successfully implemented with a 95.83% success ratio.
A Novel Attitude Determination System Aided by Polarization Sensor

This paper aims to develop a novel attitude determination system aided by polarization sensor. An improved heading angle function is derived using the perpendicular relationship between directions of E-vector of linearly polarized light and solar vector in the atmospheric polarization distribution model. The Extended Kalman filter (EKF) with quaternion differential equation as a dynamic model is applied to fuse the data from sensors. The covariance functions of filter process and measurement noises are deduced in detail. The indoor and outdoor tests are conducted to verify the validity and feasibility of proposed attitude determination system. The test results showed that polarization sensor is not affected by magnetic field, thus the proposed system can work properly in environments containing the magnetic interference. The results also showed that proposed system has higher measurement accuracy than common attitude determination system and can provide precise parameters for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight control. The main contribution of this paper is implementation of the EKF for incorporating the self-developed polarization sensor into the conventional attitude determination system. The real-world experiment with the quad-rotor proved that proposed system can work in a magnetic interference environment and provide sufficient accuracy in attitude determination for autonomous navigation of vehicle.
Cladding Pumped Randomly Coupled 12-Core Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier With Low Mode-Dependent Gain

We demonstrate a randomly coupled 12-core erbium-doped fiber (EDF) based cladding pumped optical amplifier. In this paper, we show that a randomly coupled multicore EDF amplifier with a cladding pumped configuration can realize high amplification efficiency and a low mode-dependent gain (MDG). We experimentally evaluate the amplification characteristics and confirm a flat gain of more than 17 dB with a sufficiently low MDG of less than 1 dB over the full C-band and an average noise figure of 6.2 dB. In addition, we describe a transmission experiment in which we inserted a randomly coupled 12-core multicore fiber (MCF), and demonstrate that the proposed 12-core MCF can transmit 12 channels.
An Improved Approach for RSSI-Based only Calibration-Free Real-Time Indoor Localization on IEEE 802.11 and 802.15.4 Wireless Networks

Assuming a reliable and responsive spatial contextualization service is a must-have in IEEE 802.11 and 802.15. 4 wireless networks, a suitable approach consists of the implementation of localization capabilities, as an additional application layer to the communication protocol stack. Considering the applicative scenario where satellite-based positioning applications are denied, such as indoor environments, and excluding data packet arrivals time measurements due to lack of time resolution, received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurements, obtained according to IEEE 802.11 and 802.15. 4 data access technologies, are the unique data sources suitable for indoor geo-referencing using COTS devices. In the existing literature, many RSSI based localization systems are introduced and experimentally validated, nevertheless they require periodic calibrations and significant information fusion from different sensors that dramatically decrease overall systems reliability and their effective availability. This motivates the work presented in this paper, which introduces an approach for an RSSI-based calibration-free and real-time indoor localization. While switched-beam array-based hardware (compliant with IEEE 802.15.4 router functionality) has already been presented by the author, the focus of this paper is the creation of an algorithmic layer for use with the pre-existing hardware capable to enable full localization and data contextualization over a standard 802.15. 4 wireless sensor network using only RSSI information without the need of lengthy offline calibration phase. System validation reports the localization results in a typical indoor site, where the system has shown high accuracy, leading to a sub-metrical overall mean error and an almost 100% site coverage within 1 m localization error.
Drinker Types, Harm, and Policy‐Related Variables: Results from the 2011 International Alcohol Control Study in New Zealand

BACKGROUND The aim was to identify a typology of drinkers in New Zealand based on alcohol consumption, beverage choice, and public versus private drinking locations and investigate the relationship between drinker types, harms experienced, and policy-related variables. METHODS Model-based cluster analysis of male and female drinkers including volumes of alcohol consumed in the form of beer, wine, spirits, and ready-to-drinks (RTDs) in off- and on-premise settings. Cluster membership was then related to harm measures: alcohol dependence, self-rated health; and to 3 policy-relevant variables: liking for alcohol adverts, price paid for alcohol, and time of purchase. RESULTS Males and females were analyzed separately. Men fell into 4 and women into 14 clearly discriminated clusters. The male clusters consumed a relatively high proportion of alcohol in the form of beer. Women had a number of small extreme clusters and some consumed mainly spirits-based RTDs, while others drank mainly wine. Those in the higher consuming clusters were more likely to have signs of alcohol dependency, to report lower satisfaction with their health, to like alcohol ads, and to have purchased late at night. CONCLUSIONS Consumption patterns are sufficiently distinctive to identify typologies of male and female alcohol consumers. Women drinkers are more heterogeneous than men. The clusters relate differently to policy-related variables.
Positive association of collagen type I with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer progression

PURPOSE Non-muscle invasive bladder cancers (NMIBC) are generally curable, while ~15% progresses into muscle-invasive cancer with poor prognosis. While efforts have been made to identify genetic alternations associated with progression, the extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment remains largely unexplored. Type I collagen is a major component of the bladder ECM, and can be altered during cancer progression. We set out to explore the association of type I collagen with NMIBC progression. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The associations of COL1A1 and COL1A2 mRNA levels with progression were evaluated in a multi-center cohort of 189 patients with NMIBCs. Type I collagen protein expression and structure were evaluated in an independent single-center cohort of 80 patients with NMIBCs. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed and state-of-the-art multi-photon microscopy was used to evaluate collagen structure via second harmonic generation imaging. Progression to muscle invasion was the primary outcome. Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression, and Wilcoxon rank-sum were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS There is a significant association of high COL1A1 and COL1A2 mRNA expression in patients with poor progression-free survival (P=0.0037 and P=0.011, respectively) and overall survival (P=0.024 and P=0.012, respectively). Additionally, immunohistochemistry analysis of type I collagen protein deposition revealed a significant association with progression (P=0.0145); Second-harmonic generation imaging revealed a significant lower collagen fiber curvature ratio in patients with invasive progression (P = 0.0018). CONCLUSIONS Alterations in the ECM microenvironment, particularly type I collagen, likely contributes to bladder cancer progression. These findings will open avenues to future functional studies to investigate ECM-tumor interaction as a potential therapeutic intervention to treat NMIBCs.
Abnormal brain functional connectivity leads to impaired mood and cognition in hyperthyroidism: a resting-state functional MRI study

Patients with hyperthyroidism frequently have neuropsychiatric complaints such as lack of concentration, poor memory, depression, anxiety, nervousness, and irritability, suggesting brain dysfunction. However, the underlying process of these symptoms remains unclear. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), we depicted the altered graph theoretical metric degree centrality (DC) and seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (FC) in 33 hyperthyroid patients relative to 33 healthy controls. The peak points of significantly altered DC between the two groups were defined as the seed regions to calculate FC to the whole brain. Then, partial correlation analyses were performed between abnormal DC, FC and neuropsychological performances, as well as some clinical indexes. The decreased intrinsic functional connectivity in the posterior lobe of cerebellum (PLC) and medial frontal gyrus (MeFG), as well as the abnormal seed-based FC anchored in default mode network (DMN), attention network, visual network and cognitive network in this study, possibly constitutes the latent mechanism for emotional and cognitive changes in hyperthyroidism, including anxiety and impaired processing speed.
Investigations on edge coupled metamaterial filters

Artificially engineered materials, like metamaterials can be used to enhance the performance of devices. Split-ring resonators (SRRs) is the most widely used metamaterial at microwave regime. In this paper, edge coupled metamaterial filter using SRR with band stop characteristics in the frequency spectrum is proposed. Exhaustive simulations are conducted to understand the properties of the filter. The effects of the geometrical parameters on the resonance frequency are investigated. The proposed filter prototypes are tested using Vector Network Analyser and thus simulated results are validated.
Adaptive Energy-Efficient Target Detection Based on Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks

Target detection is a widely used application for area surveillance, elder care, and fire alarms; its purpose is to find a particular object or event in a region of interest. Usually, fixed observing stations or static sensor nodes are arranged uniformly in the field. However, each part of the field has a different probability of being intruded upon; if an object suddenly enters an area with few guardian devices, a loss of detection will occur, and the stations in the safe areas will waste their energy for a long time without any discovery. Thus, mobile wireless sensor networks may benefit from adaptation and pertinence in detection. Sensor nodes equipped with wheels are able to move towards the risk area via an adaptive learning procedure based on Bayesian networks. Furthermore, a clustering algorithm based on k-means++ and an energy control mechanism is used to reduce the energy consumption of nodes. The extended Kalman filter and a voting data fusion method are employed to raise the localization accuracy of the target. The simulation and experimental results indicate that this new system with adaptive energy-efficient methods is able to achieve better performance than the traditional ones.
Converting a broad matrix metalloproteinase family inhibitor into a specific inhibitor of MMP-9 and MMP-14

MMP-14 and MMP-9 are two well established cancer targets for which no specific clinically relevant inhibitor is available. Using a powerful combination of computational design and yeast surface display technology, we engineered such an inhibitor starting from a non-specific MMP inhibitor, N-TIMP2. The engineered purified N-TIMP2 variants showed enhanced specificity towards MMP-14 and MMP-9 relative to a panel of off-target MMPs. MMP-specific N-TIMP2 sequence signatures were obtained that could be understood from the structural perspective of MMP/N-TIMP2 interactions. Our MMP-9 inhibitor exhibited 1000-fold preference for MMP-9 vs. MMP-14, which is likely to translate into significant differences under physiological conditions. Our results provide new insights regarding evolution of promiscuous proteins and optimization strategies for design of inhibitors with single-target specificities.
Statistical-QoS Guaranteed Energy Efficiency Optimization for Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks

Energy harvesting, which offers a never-ending energy supply, has emerged as a prominent technology to prolong the lifetime and reduce costs for the battery-powered wireless sensor networks. However, how to improve the energy efficiency while guaranteeing the quality of service (QoS) for energy harvesting based wireless sensor networks is still an open problem. In this paper, we develop statistical delay-bounded QoS-driven power control policies to maximize the effective energy efficiency (EEE), which is defined as the spectrum efficiency under given specified QoS constraints per unit harvested energy, for energy harvesting based wireless sensor networks. For the battery-infinite wireless sensor networks, our developed QoS-driven power control policy converges to the Energy harvesting Water Filling (E-WF) scheme and the Energy harvesting Channel Inversion (E-CI) scheme under the very loose and stringent QoS constraints, respectively. For the battery-finite wireless sensor networks, our developed QoS-driven power control policy becomes the Truncated energy harvesting Water Filling (T-WF) scheme and the Truncated energy harvesting Channel Inversion (T-CI) scheme under the very loose and stringent QoS constraints, respectively. Furthermore, we evaluate the outage probabilities to theoretically analyze the performance of our developed QoS-driven power control policies. The obtained numerical results validate our analysis and show that our developed optimal power control policies can optimize the EEE over energy harvesting based wireless sensor networks.