Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Professional Privilege, Ethics and Pedagogy

In the social sciences, the iconic definition of privilege is that of unearned advantage. Consequently, professionals in the social services may devote less attention to the examination of their own professional privilege since it has been earned. This article addresses ethical concerns about the earned privilege that accrues to professionals in the caring fields and the potential effects on service users. This paper will focus particularly on some of the pedagogical dimensions. The inherent paradox in socializing students into professional roles, which enhance privilege, while attempting to reduce the power differentials with service users, requires attention by teachers. How one might lessen the hierarchy that is created between the helper and service user as a result of that privilege will be explored. The paper will detail professional privilege and both constructive and problematic impacts on the helping relationship. The ‘uneven’ advantage of being able to set the standards of health and morality are also discussed. In the process, ethical trespass may result. We will explore this concept and its implications. Because, privilege contributes to social stratification between helpers and recipients, the final segment offers one educational strategy that can be used to potentially lessen the ‘we–they’ duality.
A leptin dose-response study in obese (ob/ob) and lean (+/?) mice.

This experiment determined the amount of leptin required to correct different abnormalities in leptin-deficient ob/ob mice. Baseline food intakes and body weights of lean (+/? ) and obese (ob/ob) C57B1/6J mice were recorded for 7 days. An Alzet miniosmotic pump was placed in the peritoneal cavity of each mouse and delivered 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, or 42 microg/day human leptin for 7 days. In ob/ob mice, 2 microg leptin/day reduced food intake and body weight, and increased hypothalamic and brain stem serotonin concentrations. All fat pads were reduced 35-40% by 10 microg leptin/day, and liver weight, lipid, and glycogen decreased. Serum insulin and glucose were reduced in all leptin-treated ob/ob mice, and levels were normalized by 10 microg/day leptin. Low rectal temperatures of ob/ob mice were corrected by 10 and 42 microg/day leptin. These doses also increased brown adipose tissue uncoupling protein expression. The only responses in lean mice were a transient reduction in food intake and weight loss with 10 or 42 microg/day leptin. This study shows enhanced leptin sensitivity in ob/ob mice and suggests that increased temperature and sympathetic activity are indirect responses to high concentrations of protein.
Telling the time with audiovisual speech and non-speech: Does the brain use multiple clocks?

It has often been claimed that there is mutual dependence between the perceived synchrony of auditory and visual sources, and the extent to which they perceptually integrate (‘unity assumption’: Vroomen and Keetels, 2010; Welsh and Warren, 1980). However subjective audiovisual synchrony can vary widely between subjects (Stone, 2001) and between paradigms (van Eijk, 2008). Do such individual differences in subjective synchrony correlate positively with individual differences in optimal timing for integration, as expected under the unity assumption? In separate experiments we measured the optimal audiovisual asynchrony for the McGurk illusion (McGurk and MacDonald, 1976), and the stream-bounce illusion (Sekuler et al., 1997). We concurrently elicited either temporal order judgements (TOJ) or simultaneity judgements (SJ), in counterbalanced sessions, from which we derived the point of subjective simultaneity (PSS). For both experiments, the asynchrony for maximum illusion showed a significant positive correlation with PSS derived from SJ, following the unity assumption. But surprisingly, the analogous correlation with PSS derived from TOJ was significantly negative. The temporal mechanisms for this pairing of tasks seem neither unitary nor fully independent, but apparently antagonistic. A tentative temporal renormalisation mechanism explains these paradoxical results as follows: (1) subjective timing in our different tasks can depend on independent mechanisms subject to their own neural delays; (2) inter-modal synchronization is achieved by first discounting the mean neural delay within each modality; and (3) apparent antagonism between estimates of subjective timing emerges as the mean is attracted towards deviants in the unimodal temporal distribution.
Identifying needs and enhancing learning about climate change adaptation for water professionals at the post-graduate level

Using a participatory learning approach, we report on the delivery and evaluation of a climate change and risk assessment tool to help manage water risks within the agricultural sector. Post-graduate water-professional students from a range of countries, from both developed and emerging economies were involved in using this tool. Our approach included participative learning tools – group discussion, software, and risk matrices. The materials developed met the needs of the students, allowing these students to incorporate their learning and adapt the package of materials for use in their home countries. Analysis of evaluations show that the tools and materials are particularly useful and emphasizes the need for sound learning materials and tools, funding to deliver training, and policy support to accelerate education and adoption of authentic climate change adaptation practices. The expected benefits for water professionals about climate change will be translated into improved socioeconomic and environmental outcomes if adopted.
Interferon production by temperature-sensitive mutants of Semliki Forest virus.

Summary Twenty-one temperature-sensitive mutants of Semliki Forest virus were classified by measurement of their capacity to make virus RNA. The RNA+ mutants were defective in a very early step in virus multiplication; possibly in the formation of functional polymerase enzyme. The RNA+ mutants investigated were all defective in their capacity to make the virus envelope protein. All the mutants were capable of inducing interferon formation but two different types of induction could be distinguished. At high multiplicities, both classes of mutant and the wild type induced interferon production without requiring virus RNA synthesis, while at lower multiplicities interferon production depended on the synthesis of virus RNA. It was concluded that at high multiplicities the inducer was newly synthesized RNA. However, a number of the RNA+ mutants were less efficient interferon inducers than the wild type, and at low multiplicities synthesised virus RNA but not interferon.
The thermodynamic temperature of a rhythmic spiking network

Artificial neural networks built from two-state neurons are powerful computational substrates, whose computational ability is well understood by analogy with statistical mechanics. In this work, we introduce similar analogies in the context of spiking neurons in a fixed time window, where excitatory and inhibitory inputs drawn from a Poisson distribution play the role of temperature. For single neurons with a "bandgap" between their inputs and the spike threshold, this temperature allows for stochastic spiking. By imposing a global inhibitory rhythm over the fixed time windows, we connect neurons into a network that exhibits synchronous, clock-like updating akin to neural networks. We implement a single-layer Boltzmann machine without learning to demonstrate our model.
An Adaptive PMU-Based Secondary Voltage Control Scheme

This paper presents a new adaptive control approach to power system secondary voltage control (SVC) problem using synchronized phasor measurements as control feedback. The objective is to improve overall system voltage profile by appropriate management of reactive power sources against any unexpected load disturbances. The proposed method is adaptive in the sense that load disturbances are estimated on-line for computing the feasible control inputs for the minimization of the worst case load voltage deviation. That is, the resulting worst load voltage change can precisely remain within the range of predefined constraint using the feasible control inputs. Moreover, the computational burden of the proposed method is low such that it is suitable for on-line applications. Extensive simulation studies on the IEEE 14-bus and the IEEE 30-bus systems have been conducted to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method over the traditional robust method.
Presensitization and kidney transplant failures

Over 1000 kidney transplant patients were tested for cytotoxic antibodies before transplantation. It was found that patients with preformed antibodies had a significantly poorer outcome than those without antibodies in terms of clinical ranks and survival. This effect was over and above the instances of hyperacute failures previously shown to be associated with preformed cytotoxins. Among patients who received second transplants from cadaver donors, an extremely high failure-rate was observed in patients who had developed antibodies following the first graft, whereas if antibodies were not present, the failure-rate was comparable with that of first transplants done in patients without antibodies. By analysis of survival curves using logarithmic plots, it is postulated that pre-immunization has its greatest effect in the early 3-6 month high risk period and magnifies incompatibilities which occur with unrelated cadaver donors.
Methane oxidation over A-site ordered and disordered Sr(0.8)Gd(0.2)CoO(3-δ) perovskites.

A tetragonal phase Sr0.8Gd0. 2CoO3-δ with ordered Gd(3+)/Sr(2+) ions and oxygen vacancy sites is found to be about five times less active in the reaction of methane combustion than a quenched cubic perovskite phase with randomly distributed (disordered) Gd(3+)/Sr(2+) ions over the A-sites of the crystal lattice.
Optimal Planning for Distribution Network using GA

This paper presents an approach for optimal routing of distribution network including sitting of substation. The problem of distribution system planning (DSP) is a large scale, very complex and difficult to define problem. This paper presents the application of an efficient Genetic Algorithm (GA) for the optimal design of large distribution system, solving the optimal feeder routing and locating of substation. GA was used to solve the optimization of DSP problem which includes the discrete nature of substation installation and feeder routing. Several searching procedure including coding and encoding the chromosome, fitness evaluated, reproduction, crossover, and mutation are examined in details. The concept of minimum spanning is implemented on a simple virgin land with 9 node and its demerits are overcome by proposed method of GA. All the final result of DSP is obtain by GA. In this paper a simple example of virgin land is solved by minimum spanning tree and demerits are overcome with GA and results are obtained by GA.
An Approach for Selecting Active Nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks by Using Genetic Algorithms

Wireless sensor networks are used as an appropriate and efficient approach for controlling and monitoring. The main issues in these networks are saving energy and appropriate sensor covering of environment, so that the link between nodes and final connection of whole network are stable. There are approaches for solving these problems which select subset of nodes in each moment and keep them in active mode and other nodes remain in sleep mode. The problem of these approaches is that they cannot select subsets appropriately in large scale networks. In other words selecting active node is a NP problem. So in this paper in order to solve this problem, we use a genetic algorithm that has better efficiency than previous algorithms according to previous evaluations and results.
Frequency Generation for Mobile RFID Reader

This paper presents a 0.18-mum CMOS fully integrated LC VCO and fractional-N phase-locked loop(PLL), suitable for radio frequency identification (RFID) reader working at 900 MHz. The VCO comprises cross-coupled double core and PMOS tail current source to suppress 1/f noise up conversion. To minimize pulling, the 900 MHz VCO is generated by a 1.8 GHz VCO followed by a frequency divider. In addition, current source of this topology was applied bandgap reference to reduce effect of temperature and supply voltage variation, which is caused by unstable oscillation state. The phase noise of a free-running VCO is demonstrated with -106 dBc/Hz at 100kHz offset. The PLL's loop bandwidth is measured to be 64KHz, with a fractional spurious level of -83dBc. The power consumption of the VCO including bandgap reference, frequency divider, and buffer amplifiers is 39.5mW and the PLL is 21.6mW from a 1.8V supply voltage
Micro-Strategizing in Platform Ecosystems: A Multiple Case Study

The strategy by which a platform owner manages the future trajectory of its platform involves many unknowns. In particular, the ambition to simultaneously control the platform and distribute design capability to users is challenging. While there is an emerging literature on strategy in platform ecosystems, little empirical evidence exists about the series of strategic actions that platform owners conduct to create value in an ecosystem context. Drawing on a strategy-as-process perspective, this paper augments existing platform perspectives by seeking to understand the micro-strategizing of a platform owner. To this end, we report a multiple case study of Apple’s use of application programming interfaces for generating value from the iPhone platform. Our comparative analysis identifies and explores five different micro-strategies that can be enacted proactively or reactively: counteracting, monetizing, resourcing, securing, and sustaining. The paper concludes with a number of theoretical and practical implications of these micro-strategies and their interaction.
Robotic technologies and rehabilitation: new tools for upper-limb therapy and assessment in chronic stroke.

BACKGROUND The use of robotic technology for assessment has the potential to provide therapists with objective, accurate, repeatable measurements of subject's functions. However, despite the increasing number of clinical studies examining the effect of robotic training on stroke rehabilitation, body functions and structures assessment is typically carried out through traditional human-administered clinical impairment scales. AIM The paper aims at providing a complete set of kinematic and dynamic indices for an objective measure of the effect of robot-aided therapy, and testing their correlation with clinical scales. DESIGN An intervention pilot study applying robotic therapy was carried out. SETTING The clinical study was focused on outpatients and was carried out at Università Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Italy. POPULATION Fifteen community-dwelling persons with chronic stroke met inclusion criteria and volunteered to participate. METHODS Upper limb robotic therapy was administered to patients. Kinematic and dynamic performance indices were extracted from position and force data recorded with the InMotion2 robot. A linear regression analysis was carried out to study correlation with clinical scales to extract a core set of performance indicators. RESULTS Robotic outcome measures showed a significant improvement of kinematic motor performance; the improvement of dynamic components was significant only in resistive motion and highly correlated with Motor Power. CONCLUSION Preliminary results showed that arm motor functions and strength of the paretic arm can be objectively measured by means of the proposed bunch of robotic measures. Correlation with Motor Power was high, while correlation with Fugl-Meyer was moderate. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT An improvement of clinical body functions assessment is expected in terms of objective, accurate and repeatable measurements of subject's performance during recovery.
Five Basic Types of Insider DoS Attacks of Code Dissemination in Wireless Sensor Networks

Code dissemination is one of the important services of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Securing the process of code dissemination is essential in some certain WSNs applications, state-of-the-art secure code dissemination protocols for WSNs aim for the effici ent source authentication and integrity verificatio n of code image, however, due to the resource constrains of WSNs and the epidemic behavior of the code dissemination system, existing secure code dissemin ation protocols are vulnerable to Denial of Service (DoS) attacks when sensor nodes can be compromised (insider DoS attacks). In this paper, we identify five different basic types of DoS attacks exploiting the epidemic propagation strategies used by Deluge. Th ey are (1) Higher-version Advertisement attack, (2) False Request attack, (3) Larger-numbered Page attack, (4 ) Lower-version Adv attack, and (5) Same-version Adv attack. Simulation shows these susceptibilities cau sed by above insider DoS attacks. Some simple models are also proposed which promote understanding the problem of insider DoS attacks and attempt to quant ify the severity of these attacks in the course of code dissemination in WSNs.
Tests of a Cognitive-Resource-Allocation Account of the Bizarreness Effect

Abstract The authors examined the role of cognitive-resource allocation in obtaining the often reported memory advantage for bizarre relative to common information by using the secondary-task method in 4 experiments. In Experiments 1 and 2, they investigated the relationship between differences in cognitive resource allocation during comprehension and in recall for common and bizarre information. In Experiments 3 and 4, they investigated the same relationship but measured cognitive-resource allocation during imaging rather than during comprehension. Although bizarre items required more time to comprehend and to image than did common items, the differences were not reliable predictors of the recall differences between item types. Furthermore, analyses of response latencies to a secondary task provided no compelling evidence in support of a cognitive-resource-allocation explanation of bizarreness effects. Implications for the development of a comprehensive model of the influence of bizarreness on memory are discussed.
Environmental Education for Sustainability: defining the new focus of environmental education in the 1990s

summary The history of environmental education reveals a close connection between changing concerns about the environment and its associated problems and the way in which environmental education is defined and promoted. In the 1990s, mounting concern over environment and development problems has meant greater support for an educational approach, which not only considers immediate environmental improvement as an actual goal, but also addresses educating for ‘sustainability’ in the long term. Although some education literature has embraced this new focus of environmental education for sustainability (EEFS), it has failed to outline the essence of this approach and has neglected questions about how it differs from the environmental education of the 1980s. No document exists to date which translates the goals of EEFS into guiding principles for its development in schools. Essentially, EEFS needs further definition. This paper is an attempt to engage the debate about what constitutes this new focus of environm.
Moving for mainstream

Abstract Written by Katie Clarke, mum of Nadia, helped by Phyllis Jones, lecturer in Special Educational Needs, University of Northumbria at Newcastle. A slightly longer version of this piece will appear in the next collection of stories for 'Parents with Attitude' due to be published in 1999.
Are Cross-National Differences in IQ Profiles Stable? A Comparison of Finnish and U.S. WAIS Norms

To study the concept of national IQ profile, we compared U.S. and Finnish WAIS, WAIS-R, and WAIS III nonverbal and working memory subtest norms. The U.S. standardization samples had consistently higher scores on the Coding and Digit span subtests, while the Finnish samples had higher scores on the Block design subtest. No stable cross-national differences were found on the other nonverbal tests. It is hypothesized that linguistic, educational, and cultural factors underlie national IQ profiles. Some of these factors may be stable, leading to constant cross-national differences. The study of national IQ profiles may contribute to the validity of testing in smaller countries, where the adaptation of foreign, most often U.S., tests rarely includes national standardization. Furthermore, the results of the study implicate that the concept of national IQ is problematic.
Nowhere to hide: Exploring user-verification across Flickr accounts

This work presents improved audio-based user-verification analysis and results on Flickr videos, using a subset of the MediaEval 2011 [1] data set. User-verification is a new task, where the goal is to determine if two pieces of media are uploaded by the same user. Our best results, with a 19.7% Equal Error Rate, and a 53.9% Miss Rate at 1% False Positive, are obtained using an i-vector [2] system. A frequency-matching system that requires 96% less computation time than the other systems is also explored, and may be better suited for processing large datasets from Flickr and other social networks. The results have significant privacy implications as they present a framework for exploiting users' tendencies to assume that different accounts remain as separate realms.
Chemical crosslinking of polyethylene and its effect on water tree initiation and propagation

The water tree resistance of chemically crosslinked polyethylene and of low density polyethylene were compared in order to elucidate whether the crosslinking itself influences or not the water tree characteristics of polymeric cable insulation materials. For this purpose, water trees were grown in compression moulded disks, obtained from pellets of either thermoplastic or chemically crosslinked polyethylene. Three types of crosslinked polyethylene were evaluated: one containing only peroxide (XLA) and two others having, besides peroxide, a tree retarding additive system (XLB and XLC), and the results were compared with those obtained on their thermoplastic correspondents (A, B and C). Results were determined for both Water Tree Propagation and Water Tree Initiation. The results obtained for Water Tree Propagation indicate that there is generally a large difference between the types (A, B & C) yet only small difference between thermoplastic and crosslinked samples. However for two cases (A & B) these small differences between crosslinking are statistically significant. The complementary Water Tree Initiation results show both large and significant differences between material types and the crosslinking.
Barriers to Public Relations Program Research

A mail survey (n = 300) of public relations practitioners assessed role orientations, research orientations, and perceived barriers to performing public relations research. The data showed 2 distinct but correlated groups of practitioner orientations (managers and technicians) and 2 orthogonal groups of research orientations (source orientation and receiver orientation). Budget was considered more of a constraint for management-oriented practitioners, with time and training more of a problem for technician-oriented practitioners. Supervisor interest and training were motivators to research for those with a management orientation. Client interest had no positive or negative associations with the perceived ability to perform public relations research. The results suggest that management-oriented practitioners appreciate the need for receiver-oriented data but may not communicate its value effectively when budgeting decisions are made. Technician-oriented practitioners, meanwhile, appear aware of the limitations of source-oriented practices but need further training to enable them to change operating styles.