Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Comprehensive Devnagari Numeral and Character Database for Offline Handwritten Character Recognition

In handwritten character recognition, benchmark database plays an important role in evaluating the performance of various algorithms and the results obtained by various researchers. In Devnagari script, there is lack of such official benchmark. This paper focuses on the generation of offline benchmark database for Devnagari handwritten numerals and characters. The present work generated 5137 and 20305 isolated samples for numeral and character database, respectively, from 750 writers of all ages, sex, education, and profession. The offline sample images are stored in TIFF image format as it occupies less memory. Also, the data is presented in binary level so that memory requirement is further reduced. It will facilitate research on handwriting recognition of Devnagari script through free access to the researchers.
Body Movement: Coping with the Environment

Activate and Motivate The Body Architecture Carving Shapes in Space Inner Impulse to Move Rhythm and Phrasing Affinities of Body, Space and Effort Tensions and Countertensions Group Interaction Dance Therapy Additional Applications: (a) Animals, Territory and Labananalysis (b) Functional Rehabilitation (c) Two Musicians (d) Martial Arts - Kendo (e) Dance (f) Walking Epilogue Appendices Barentieff Fundamental Exercises
Student and Teacher Perceptions of Preferred Teacher Behaviors Among the Academically Gifted

For complex reasons which still remain, in part a mystery, human beings all seem to have preferences. These preferences affect our daily lives through the choices we make. Theories purport that preferences may be hiftuenced by inherited or inherent qualities within us, and/or environmental experiences to which we are exposed. Although the origin of preferences is an’issue yet to be resolved, it may be concluded that when functioning under preferred circumstances, people tend to perform better (Homans, 1965). In considering preferred circumstances for students in a learning situation, many researchers in the field of psychology and education have examined teacher behaviors and student preferences extensively, ranging from personal-social qualities to cognitive-intellectual qualities. In a 1952 report by the Committee on the Criteria of Teacher Effectiveness, comprised of eminent educators throughout the United States, it was concluded that displayed personal-social attributes were more important in
BASED ON THE SALE PRICE APPRAISAL RATIO ( SPAR ) METHOD

This paper contributes to the literature on the sale price appraisal ratio (SPAR) as an alternative house price index methodology. Housing market transaction data for 12 cities or districts in New Zealand for the period 1994 – 2004 is utilised to test the effect of measurement errors in assessed values on index accuracy and temporal aggregation on index stability. The main findings are: 1) temporal aggregation effect on the SPAR index stability is a constraint at the monthly level with respect to this New Zealand data set. 2) reporting sample size has a much larger effect on the precision of the SPAR index than the frequency of reassessments. Random measurement errors in assessed values tend to cancel out each other when the number of sales per period is large. 3) Any reassessment tends to disturb the SPAR index for the reassessment period. Consistency errors in assessed values tend to be more likely to accumulate when more frequent reassessment exercises are engaged.
NARRATIVES OF SUSTAINABLE WAYS OF LIVING: CONSTRUCTING THE SELF AND THE OTHER AS A GREEN CONSUMER

This paper discusses the representation of “green consumerism” in the prevalent institutionalised discourses of green consumerism, and in the self‐narratives of people who identify themselves as ecologically oriented citizens, focusing on the construction of the self and the other in these texts. The aim is to investigate the ways in which “radical” ecologically oriented citizens, who are largely “marginalised” and positioned as the other in the dominant discourses of green consumerism, engage in resistance towards western, materialistic consumption culture. Drawing from the Foucauldian ideas of political struggle as the “politics of the self”, and personal ethics and moral agency as a mode of self‐formation, this paper analyses the ways in which these “green consumers” reject their received subjectivity as consumers. The focus is on the practices of self, and on the ways in which they invent and promote new forms of subjectivity that are more in line with their environmentalist ideology.
Outdoor Recreation and the Predictive Validity of Environmental Attitudes

The utility of the attitude concept in outdoor-recreation research rests upon its predictive validity, that is, an ability to predict subsequent behavior (at either the general or specific level). This study examines the moderating and mediating effects of participation in three types of outdoor recreation activities (appreciative, consumptive, and motorized) on environmental attitude-behavior correspondence. A mediating effect occurs if participation accounts for the relation between attitude and behavior. A moderating effect occurs if the attitude-behavior relationship changes as a function of participation. Respondents (n1220) to a telephone interview of households in the Southern Appalachian region of the Southeast United States were asked about their participation in a selection of outdoor recreation activities and their environmental behaviors and were randomly assigned to one of five general environmental attitude scales. Results support a significant mediating effect for appreciative outdoor activ.
A microstrip grid array antenna for 60-GHz applications

A microstrip (MS) grid array antenna (GAA) is designed for 60-GHz applications. The GAA adopts four sub arrays as the radiator and quarter-wave matched T-junctions as the feeding network. Ferro A6M low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) is used as the antenna substrate. Measured results show that the impedance bandwidth (BW) of the GAA is 57.5-62 GHz (or 7.5% at 60 GHz), the 3-dB gain BW is 57.5-65 GHz (or 12.5 %) with the maximum gain 16.5 dBi at 60.7 GHz, vertical beams appear in broadside direction from 57 to 64 GHz, which agree well with simulated ones.
The Importance of Goal Disengagement in Adaptive Self-Regulation: When Giving Up is Beneficial

This paper develops the argument that goal disengagement forms an essential aspect of effective self-regulation. The argument derives from a consideration of processes inherent in the life-span development of the individual, as well as processes inherent in the moment-to-moment regulation of action. Evidence is reviewed to support the idea that goal disengagement can be beneficial to psychological well-being. In addition, the article addresses the nature of disengagement. It is argued that disengagement requires a person to withdraw not only effort but also commitment from unattainable goals, and is most adaptive if it leads to pursuing new meaningful goals. The paper also discusses the manner in which various aspects of the self might support or hinder the disengagement process. The paper closes by addressing the break point between goal engagement and disengagement and suggesting several directions for future research.
Problems with phonological chains

I. Chains are familiar in diachronic phonology as sets of shifts of the form A>B, B>C, C>D, etc. Well-known examples include the following (cf. Martinet, 1955: Ch. 2): (I)(a) Grimm's Law: bh>b>p>f (b) Azores Portuguese: a>doubt:>о>u>y (c) Great English Vowel Shift: æ>doubt:ēī>ai (d) Hauteville dialect: ề>doubt:ε>a>doubt: (e) High German Consonant Shift: d>>ts/s (f) Latin>Italian: kui>kwi>ki>tfi Martinet (1952, 1955) gives a ‘functional’ interpretation of this phenomenon, distinguishing between ‘push’ and ‘drag’ chains; King (1969), arguing from a generative point of view, rejects the ‘push’ variety, and considers ‘drag’ chains to be a case of rule simplification.
An adaptability limit to climate change due to heat stress

Despite the uncertainty in future climate-change impacts, it is often assumed that humans would be able to adapt to any possible warming. Here we argue that heat stress imposes a robust upper limit to such adaptation. Peak heat stress, quantified by the wet-bulb temperature TW, is surprisingly similar across diverse climates today. TW never exceeds 31 °C. Any exceedence of 35 °C for extended periods should induce hyperthermia in humans and other mammals, as dissipation of metabolic heat becomes impossible. While this never happens now, it would begin to occur with global-mean warming of about 7 °C, calling the habitability of some regions into question. With 11–12 °C warming, such regions would spread to encompass the majority of the human population as currently distributed. Eventual warmings of 12 °C are possible from fossil fuel burning. One implication is that recent estimates of the costs of unmitigated climate change are too low unless the range of possible warming can somehow be narrowed. Heat stress also may help explain trends in the mammalian fossil record.
The Effects of Proresolution of Ellagic Acid in an Experimental Model of Allergic Airway Inflammation

Asthma is a disease of airway inflammation characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophilic inflammation, and hypersecretion of mucus. Ellagic acid, a compound derived from medicinal plants and fruits, has shown anti-inflammatory activity in several experimental disease models. We used the classical experimental model, in BALB/c mice, of sensibilization with ovalbumin to determine the effect of ellagic acid (10 mg/kg; oral route) in the resolution of allergic airways response. Dexamethasone (1 mg/kg; subcutaneous route) was used as a positive control. The control group consisted of nonimmunized mice that received challenge with ovalbumin. Ellagic acid and dexamethasone or vehicle (water) were administered before or after intranasal allergen challenge. Ellagic acid accelerated the resolution of airways inflammation by decreasing total leukocytes and eosinophils numbers in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), the mucus production and lung inflammation in part by reducing IL-5 concentration, eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) activity, and P-selectin expression, but not activator protein 1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathways. In addition, ellagic acid enhanced alveolar macrophage phagocytosis of IgG-OVA-coated beads ex vivo, a new proresolving mechanism for the clearance of allergen from the airways. Together, these findings identify ellagic acid as a potential therapeutic agent for accelerating the resolution of allergic airways inflammation.
Comparison of Fluorescently Labeled Oligonucleotide and Polynucleotide Probes for the Detection of Pelagic Marine Bacteria and Archaea

ABSTRACT We compared the detection of bacteria and archaea in the coastal North Sea and at Monterey Bay, Calif. , after fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) either with rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes monolabeled with the cyanin dye Cy3 (oligoFISH) or with fluorescein-labeled polyribonucleotide probes (polyFISH). During an annual cycle in German Bight surface waters, the percentages of bacteria visualized by polyFISH (annual mean, 77% of total counts) were significantly higher than those detected by oligoFISH (53%). The fraction of total bacteria visualized by oligoFISH declined during winter, whereas cell numbers determined by polyFISH remained constant throughout the year. Depth profiles from Monterey Bay showed large differences in the fraction of bacterial cells visualized by polyFISH and oligoFISH in the deeper water layers irrespective of the season. Image-analyzed microscopy indicated that the superior detection of cells by polyFISH with fluorescein-labeled probes in bacterioplankton samples was less a consequence of higher absolute fluorescence intensities but was rather related to quasi-linear bleaching dynamics and to a higher signal-to-background ratio. The relative abundances of archaea in North Sea and Monterey Bay spring samples as determined by oligoFISH were on average higher than those determined by polyFISH. However, simultaneous hybridizations with oligonucleotide probes for bacteria and archaea suggested that the oligoFISH probe ARCH915 unspecifically stained a population of bacteria. Using either FISH technique, blooms of archaea were observed in North Sea surface waters during the spring and summer months. Marine group II archaea (Euryarchaeota) reached >30% of total picoplankton abundances, as determined by polyFISH. We suggest that studies of pelagic microbial community structure using oligoFISH with monolabeled probes should focus on environments that yield detections ≥70% of total cell counts, e.g., coastal surface waters during spring and summer.
Including the excluded: high security hospital user perspectives on stigma, discrimination, and recovery

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to document reflections on experiences of stigma and discrimination as described by predominantly black and ethnic minority (BME) service users in a high security hospital via a slow‐open therapy group. Service users from BME are known to have higher drop‐out rates and poorer treatment outcomes in non‐forensic therapy settings (Rathod et al.). Further, they are over‐represented in forensic services and often disengage, because their views and feelings are poorly understood (Ndegwa). Design/methodology/approach – Thematic analysis was applied to a sample of electronically stored running records of group sessions, in which experiences of care, discrimination, hope, despair, and recovery were shared.Findings – Over a three‐year period, 18 forensic patients participated in the group. Group members' reflections on detention, offending and illness were collected. Themes relating to isolation and distance, other barriers to recovery and strategies for coping “against the odd.
School choice and competition : Evidence from the Netherlands 10 November 2008

The literature suggests that competition among schools might increase quality. However, not much empirical evidence is present as only a few countries allow competition at a large scale. One exception is the Netherlands. Free parental choice is the leading principle of the Dutch education system since the beginning of the 20 century. Based on panel data for the Netherlands we show that there is a relation between competition and student achievement in upper secondary education, but that it is negative. In addition, private schools have higher quality levels.
Election Systems and the Representation of Black Women in American State Legislatures

Both blacks and women are under-represented in American elected offices. At the local and state legislative levels, however, the under-representation of blacks is almost entirely due to the under-representation of black women. Black men have achieved or exceed parity between their population proportions and their proportions among elected officials; therefore, the under-representation of blacks and women are one and the same. Women are more likely to be elected in multi-member districts than in single-member district systems. Black women, in particular, are more likely to come from multi-member district systems whether in overwhelmingly white or black majority constituencies. Redistricting to multi-member districts with black majority and overwhelmingly white constitencies, then, could aid in the election of more black women without hurting black representation overall.
Novice and expert judgment in the presence of going concern uncertainty: The influence of heuristic biases and other relevant factors

Purpose – Prior literature provides clear evidence that the judgments of experts differ from those of non-experts. For example, Smith and Kida concluded that the extent of common biases that they investigated often are reduced when experts perform job related tasks as compared to students. The aim in this theoretical study is to examine whether “heuristic biases significantly moderate the understanding of experts versus novices in the going concern judgment? ” Design/methodology/approach – The authors address the posited question by marshalling extant literature on expert and novice judgments and link these to concepts drawn from the cognitive sciences through the Brunswick Lens Model. Findings – The authors identify a number of heuristics that may bias the going concern decision, based on the work of Kahneman and Tversky among others. They conclude that experience mitigates the unintentional consequences played by heuristic biases. Practical implications – The conclusions have implications for the education and training of auditors, and for the expectation gap. They suggest that both awareness of factors that affect understanding of auditing reports and greater attention to training are important in reducing the expectation gap. Originality/value – This paper develops additional theoretical understanding of factors that may impact the expectation gap. While there has been limited prior discussion of the impact of cognitive factors on differences between experts and novices, the paper significantly expands the range of factors discussed. As such, it should provide a stimulus to new research in this important area.
Relapsed or refractory nongastric marginal zone B‐cell lymphoma: Multicenter retrospective analysis of 92 cases

Over its long survival duration, marginal zone B‐cell lymphoma (MZL) routinely involves frequent relapses. In this study, we conducted a retrospective analysis to identify the clinical features and outcomes of relapsed or refractory MZL. From 1995 to 2008, a total of 92 patients with relapsed MZL were retrospectively analyzed. The median age of our subjects was 53.5 years (range: 23–82 years). The most common primary sites of involvement were the orbit and ocular adnexa (28.3%) followed by the lymph node and lymphatic organs (23.9%), and multiple mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) sites (13.0%). The median time to relapse from initial diagnosis was 25.5 months. Of the 53 patients with Stage I or II at diagnosis, 42 patients (79.2%) evidenced locoregional recurrence. Among these locoregional relapsed patients, 27 patients achieved CR (54.1%) or PR (18.9%). In addition to the 39 patients initially in advanced Stage III or IV, a total of 50 patients were in advanced stage at relapse. Among those patients with advanced stage at relapse, 44 patients were treated. The overall response rate was 54.5% (24 patients), with 18 CRs and 6 PRs. The median time to progression (TTP) was 34.1 months (95% CI: 11.3–56.9 months) and the estimated 5‐year overall survival (OS) was 84.3%. The majority of them was controlled well with salvage treatment, and could achieve prolonged survival. However, patients' refractory to initial therapy and advanced relapse evidenced shorter TTP and OS. Thus, we need to consider more aggressive treatment in cases of refractory MZL or advanced relapsed MZL. Am. J. Hematol. , 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The second capsule gene of cryptococcus neoformans, CAP64, is essential for virulence

The extracellular polysaccharide capsule produced by Cryptococcus neoformans is essential for its pathogenicity. We have isolated and characterized a gene, (AP64, which is required for capsule formation. An encapsulated strain created by complementation of the cap64 mutation produced fatal infection of mice within 25 days, while the cap64 acapsular strain was avirulent. Gene deletion of CAP64 from a wild-type strain resulted in the loss of capsule as well as virulence. Contour-clamped homogeneous electric field gel analysis indicates that CAP64 is located on chromosome III which is different from the localization of another capsule-related gene, CAP59. The nonlinkage between CAP64 and CAP59 was also supported by classical recombinational analysis. Database searches did not reveal any sequence with high similarity to CAP64. We also found that the CAP64 locus is contiguous to a convergently transcribed gene which has significant similarity to the gene encoding the yeast proteasome subunit, PRE1. The distance between the cDNA ends of these two genes is only 22 bp. This study confirms the previous molecular genetic evidence that capsule is an essential factor for the virulence of C. neoformans in the murine model.
Critical Role of Endogenous Akt/IAPs and MEK1/ERK Pathways in Counteracting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-induced Cell Death*

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases and in cancer therapy. Although the unfolded protein response is known to alleviate ER stress by reducing the accumulation of misfolded proteins, the exact survival elements and their downstream signaling pathways that directly counteract ER stress-stimulated apoptotic signaling remain elusive. Here, we have shown that endogenous Akt and ERK are rapidly activated and act as downstream effectors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in thapsigargin- or tunicamycin-induced ER stress. Introduction of either dominant-negative Akt or MEK1 or the inhibitors LY294002 and U0126 sensitized cells to ER stress-induced cell death in different cell types. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis of gene expression during ER stress revealed that cIAP-2 and XIAP, members of the IAP family of potent caspase suppressors, were strongly induced. Transcription of cIAP-2 and XIAP was up-regulated by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway as shown by its reversal by dominant-negative Akt or LY294002. Ablation of these IAPs by RNA interference sensitized cells to ER stress-induced death, which was reversed by the caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-VAD-fluoromethyl ketone. The protective role of IAPs in ER stress coincided with Smac release from mitochondria to the cytosol. Furthermore, it was shown that mTOR was not required for Akt-mediated survival. These results represent the first demonstration that activation of endogenous Akt/IAPs and MEK/ERK plays a critical role in controlling cell survival by resisting ER stress-induced cell death signaling.
Locomotion of Human Skin Keratinocytes on Polystyrene, Fibrin, and Collagen Substrata and its Modification by Cell-to-Cell Contacts

Epithelial wound repair assures the recovery of the epithelial barrier after wounding. During wound healing epithelial cells migrate to cover the wound surface. The presented experiments were carried out to compare the migration of human keratinocytes from primary and secondary culture on polystyrene, collagen, and fibrin glue used in clinical techniques. The images of migrating keratinocytes were recorded and analyzed using computer-aided methods. The results show that the character of the substrate strongly affects the speed and turning behavior of keratinocytes locomoting over it. The highest motile activity of human skin keratinocytes was found on fibrin glue substratum. It was found that locomotion of freely moving isolated cells was much faster than that of cell sheets. The autologous keratinocytes cultured in vitro were applied with fibrin glue to cover trophic wounds. The transplantation of human autologous keratinocyte suspension in fibrin glue upon long-lasting trophic wounds appeared to induce rapid and permanent wound healing.
The Role of Social Support in the Lives of Women Exiting Domestic Violence Shelters

The present study investigated an intervention designed to increase battered women's social support and make their existing supports more responsive to their dire needs. It is part of a larger project that utilizes a longitudinal, experimental design to examine the effects, over a 2-year period, of an advocacy intervention on battered women's overall psychological well-being and ability to remain free of abuse. Study results (a) describe the social support of 141 women who have used a domestic violence shelter, (b) relate social support variables to psychological well-being and experience of further abuse, and (c) investigate the immediate effects of the intervention, as well as a 6-month follow-up. Key findings substantiate the strong relationship between social support and psychological well-being of battered women.