Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pattern pluralism and the Tree of Life hypothesis

Darwin claimed that a unique inclusively hierarchical pattern of relationships between all organisms based on their similarities and differences [the Tree of Life (TOL)] was a fact of nature, for which evolution, and in particular a branching process of descent with modification, was the explanation. However, there is no independent evidence that the natural order is an inclusive hierarchy, and incorporation of prokaryotes into the TOL is especially problematic. The only data sets from which we might construct a universal hierarchy including prokaryotes, the sequences of genes, often disagree and can seldom be proven to agree. Hierarchical structure can always be imposed on or extracted from such data sets by algorithms designed to do so, but at its base the universal TOL rests on an unproven assumption about pattern that, given what we know about process, is unlikely to be broadly true. This is not to say that similarities and differences between organisms are not to be accounted for by evolutionary mechanisms, but descent with modification is only one of these mechanisms, and a single tree-like pattern is not the necessary (or expected) result of their collective operation. Pattern pluralism (the recognition that different evolutionary models and representations of relationships will be appropriate, and true, for different taxa or at different scales or for different purposes) is an attractive alternative to the quixotic pursuit of a single true TOL.
Adding value and value adding: the concept of 'value added' in partially and fully selective schools

Currently in Australia, the concept of 'value added' is a cause of some political contention and considerable public angst. Beginning with Hattie's (2009) notion that the real work of schooling is to add value to conceptual artefacts, this paper explores two key points set within the educational context of selective schools. First, the use of value added models should be approached with extreme caution, especially with respect to selective schools because many of them will find it difficult to demonstrate added value using existing measures. Second, there are many attributes of selective schooling education which are already being quantitatively or qualitatively measured, and which would form the basis of a more appropriate value added model for use by parents, schools and school systems. A holistic model of value added in the selective school setting, based on the authors' research and the research literature on the education of gifted and talented students, is proposed. It takes into account school and teacher input and those factors that directly affect student choices and engagement, and would measure much of the value that a school adds to a student's education.
An energy-efficient switching technique for 2-bit/cycle SAR ADCs

A new energy-efficient switching technique for 2bit /cycle successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) is presented. The proposed switching technique achieves 97.91% less switching energy and 75% less total capacitance over the conventional architecture. A LSB correction method is also proposed to relax the accuracy requirement on the comparator. The prototype was designed in a TSMC 90-nm CMOS process technology. The post-layout simulation results show that the ADC achieves a SNDR of 59.83 dB, power consumption of 0.879 mW and FoM of 10.94 fJ /conversion-step at 100 MHz sampling rate with a 1 V supply voltage.
Poissons' ratio of lung parenchyma and parenchymal interaction with bronchi.

A simple theory of lung elasticity and its interaction with bronchi was developed which led to the specific results. The experimental procedure for establishing these results used lobar bronchi from excised dog lungs, following Takishima, et al. ((1975) J. Appl. Physiol. , 38: 875-881). First, we found a semi-direct technique for measuring Poisson's ratio (sigma) of lung parenchyma and the effect of lung parenchyma on bronchi (interdependence). Sigma was measured at 0.424 +/- 0.045; no correlation was observed between sigma and the elastic recoil pressure of the lung (PL). The interdependence increased with a corresponding increase in PL and reduced bronchial volume. Second, we predict that a relationship exists between the specific compliances of intact and excised bronchi, and the specific compliance of the surrounding parenchyma. We suggest that the parenchyma is more important than the bronchus itself in determining the specific compliance of the intact bronchi.
Interleukin-8-Derived Peptide Has Antibacterial Activity

ABSTRACT Chemokines are inflammatory mediators with effects on diverse processes associated with the immune response. Some of the proteins belonging to the CXC chemokine subfamily, one of four groups in the family, possess inherent antibacterial activity against a wide range of bacteria. The CXC chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) has not been ascribed any direct antibacterial activity, but the fact that several of the amino acids in the carboxy-terminal part of the protein are identical or similar to those in a bactericidal cecropin-like peptide [Hp(2-20)] from Helicobacter pylori suggests that processing of the cytokine might generate peptide fragments with antibacterial properties. Synthetic peptides representing the carboxy-terminal part of IL-8 were investigated for antibacterial activities. These fragments possessed an antibacterial activity absent in the full-length IL-8. The antibacterial effects were reduced at increasing salt concentrations whereas the activity was increased when the pH was lowered. The IL-8-derived peptide shared structural similarity with and was also functionally additive to the Hp(2-20) peptide. The IL-8-derived peptide lacked the proinflammatory effects of the full-length protein. We also showed that acid hydrolysis of IL-8 generated a major peptide fragment corresponding to the antibacterial carboxyl terminus of the protein. The results presented are of special interest when put in the context of the suggested importance of antimicrobial peptides for microbial colonization of the gastric mucosa.
Toeplitz Quantization of K Ahler Manifolds and Gl(n), N ! 1 Limits

For general compact KK ahler manifolds it is shown that both Toeplitz quantization and geometric quantization lead to a well-deened (by operator norm estimates) classical limit. This generalizes earlier results of the authors and Klimek and Lesniewski obtained for the torus and higher genus Riemann surfaces, respectively. We thereby arrive at an approximation of the Poisson algebra by a sequence of nite-dimensional matrix algebras gl(N), N ! 1.
REPLICABILITY AND MODELS OF PRIMING: WHAT A RESOURCE COMPUTATION FRAMEWORK CAN TELL US ABOUT EXPECTATIONS OF REPLICABILITY

In this article, we argue that whether or not a replication attempt is informative is dependent on the accuracy of one’s underlying model to explain the effect, as it is the explanatory model that enumerates the contingencies necessary for producing the effect. If the model is incorrect, then a researcher may unknowingly change variables that the model says are irrelevant but which are really essential, rendering the replication results ambiguous. The expectation that effects of priming on social behavior should be widely invariant makes sense only under the assumptions of strict direct expression and spreading activation models, yet it has been shown that these models cannot adequately explain findings from the priming literature. We describe one model of priming that predicts variability across experimental contexts and populations: the resource computation model. We highlight variables that have been uncovered under the assumptions of this model that cannot be accounted for by direct expression models and which can explain replication failures. The model is also consistent with evolutionary understandings of the mind, in which information from multiple sources beyond just stimulus information is incorporated into behavioral decisions. To the degree that anything other than a strict, direct expression, spreading activation model is correct, the expectation that priming of social behaviors should be widely invariant is unreasonable.
Low-Involvement Learning: Repetition and Coherence in Familiarity and Belief

Over thirty years ago Krugman (1965) claimed that learning of advertising messages was much more like an Ebbinghaus nonsense syllable memory task than an exercise in rhetoric. If anything, he seems even more right today in a media environment that continues to become more cluttered. In this article, we investigate the role that memory plays in the development of beliefs within this context and focus on the formation of beliefs that develop with little intention or opportunity to learn. Following on previous work, we investigate the effect of repetition-induced increases in belief for advertising claims that are hierarchically related: a superordinate general benefit claim (e.g., security of a lock) and multiple subordinate feature claims (e.g., pick resistant and professional installation required). We find that beliefs in feature claims increase monotonically with number of exposures, although at a diminishing marginal rate. We find no evidence of horizontal spillover of repetition-induced increases in belief from one subordinate feature claim to another. However, we find a substantial amount of vertical spillover of repetition-induced increases in belief from individual subordinate feature claims to the superordinate general benefit. A dual mediation analysis suggests that the vertical spillover comes from both an increase in familiarity of the general benefit and greater belief in the set of subordinate feature claims.
Is coffee consumption associated with a lower risk of hyperuricaemia or gout? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives To examine the associations of coffee consumption with the serum uric acid (SUA) level, hyperuricaemia (HU) and gout. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources and study eligibility criteria A comprehensive literature search up to April 2015, using PubMed and EMBASE databases, was conducted to identify the observational researches that examined the associations of coffee consumption with the SUA level, HU and gout. The standard mean difference (SMD), OR, relative risk (RR) and their corresponding 95% CIs for the highest and the lowest categories of coffee intake were determined. Results A total of 11 observational studies (6 cross-sectional, 3 cohort and 2 case–control studies) were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The combined SMD suggested that there was no significant difference between the highest and the lowest coffee intake categories in terms of the SUA level (SMD=−0.09, 95% CI −0.23 to 0.05; p=0.21). Meanwhile, the overall multivariable adjusted OR for HU showed no significant difference between the highest and the lowest coffee intake categories (OR=0.84, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.09; p=0.20). However, the overall multivariable adjusted RR for gout showed a significant inverse association between coffee consumption and the incidence of gout (RR=0.43, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.59, p<0.001). Conclusions Current evidences are insufficient to validate the association between coffee consumption and a lower risk of HU. Owing to the limited number of studies, the available data show that coffee consumption may be associated with a lower risk of incident gout. Further well-designed prospective researches and randomised controlled trials are therefore needed to elaborate on these issues.
Sybil resilient identity distribution in P2P networks

Sybil attack is one of the most challenging problems related to identity management in Peer-to-Peer networks. The huge number of fake identities created by malicious users may attempt to gain a large influence on the network and may collude or subvert the system. This paper proposes a Sybil defense for super peer based P2P networks where identities are distributed in a hierarchical way from super nodes to peers. The identification scheme is based on invitations and assigning a set of identities to each node is based on how they utilized the earlier ones and referral values.
Stereotype Threat on Asian American College Students

The concept of stereotype threat has been routinely applied to the study of African American students to measure their academic performance when faced with the potential of confirming negative stereotype of their population (Mosley & Rosenberg, 2007). However, it can also be used effectively when applied to the study of Asian American population. For a number of Asian Americans living in the United States, the ―model minority‖ myth has resulted in empirically unsubstantiated opinions and misconceptions about the population (Orsuwan, 2011). Therefore, there is a current lack of literature on the struggles that many Asian American students face due to a pervasive belief that they are the excelling group in American higher education. This study aims to identify some of the perceived stereotypes about Asian American college students and examine their influence on students' college experience.
Building Psychological Flexibility to Mitigate Adjustment Disorder

Clients who present to psychotherapy reporting diffuse and/or sub-clinical concerns may provide a puzzling treatment decision for providers of evidence-based practice. The current case study illustrates the implementation of an evidence-based treatment, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), for a client diagnosed with adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressive symptoms. ACT targets a dimensional, transdiagnostic construct known as psychological flexibility, currently conceptualized as involving six inter-related behavioral repertoires. The client was a Caucasian woman in her 30s who self-referred to therapy. She reported feeling anxious and depressed, especially in regard to interpersonal difficulties with her mother and her ex-husband. Fourteen sessions of an ACT protocol emphasizing a modular approach to the repertoires emphasized by the psychological flexibility model were provided. Each modular session consisted of psychoeducation, metaphors, experiential exercises, and daily practice assignments for one of the repertoires. The client completed pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up outcome measures and weekly process measures to track change throughout treatment. One process measure assessed each of the six repertoires. The client’s data revealed substantial increases in psychological flexibility and decreases in psychological distress from pre- to post-treatment, which remained stable at follow-up. This case report suggests that ACT may be a desirable treatment option for clients bearing ambiguous or sub-clinical presentations, including interpersonal conflicts. The report also provides a model for monitoring change with individual psychological flexibility repertoires with respect to a modular approach to teaching those repertoires.
A new bilateral mesh smoothing method by recognizing features

In this paper, we propose a new mesh smoothing method for mesh models with measurement noise obtained from a 3D scanner. Our proposed method enables not only the removal of noise from the faces but the preservation and smoothing of features recognized as sharp edges and corners. First, by using the eigen analysis of normal voting tensor, mesh edges composed of sharp edges can be extracted. Second, bilateral filtering is applied to extracted mesh edges to smooth the mesh edges along the direction of the sharp edge. Finally, by applying modified bilateral filtering to the overall mesh, a mesh model with sharp edges smoothed along their directions and measurement noise removed from faces was obtained.
Two-channel-based voice activity detection for humanoid robots in noisy home environments

The purpose of this research is to accurately classify the speech signals originating from the front even in noisy home environments. This ability can help robots to improve speech recognition and to spot keywords. We therefore developed a new voice activity detection (VAD) based on the complex spectrum circle centroid (CSCC) method. It can classify the speech signals that are received at the front of two microphones by comparing the spectral energy of observed signals with that of target signals estimated by CSCC. Also, it can work in real time without training filter coefficients beforehand even in noisy environments (SNR > 0 dB) and can cope with speech noises generated by audio-visual equipments such as televisions and audio devices. Since the CSCC method requires the directions of the noise signals, we also developed a sound source localization system integrated with cross-power spectrum phase (CSP) analysis and an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. This system was demonstrated to enable a robot to cope with multiple sound sources using two microphones.
Results of a computed tomography protocol evaluating distal third tibial shaft fractures to assess noncontiguous malleolar fractures.

BACKGROUND Intra-articular tibia fractures are reported to occur in 1% to 25% of tibia diaphyseal fractures. The objective of this study was to create a standard protocol to evaluate noncontiguous malleolar fractures associated with distal third tibial diaphyseal fractures using computed tomography (CT). METHODS Sixty-six patients with 67 distal third tibia fractures were treated at a level one trauma center from December 2005 to November 2007. These patients were then evaluated using a CT protocol to assess the ankle joint. There were 45 men and 21 women with average age of 44 years (range 18-69 years). All films were independently examined by two orthopedic traumatologists and one musculoskeletal radiologist. RESULTS Twenty-nine of 67 (43%) distal third tibial shaft fractures had associated intra-articular fractures determined by CT scan. There were 23 posterior malleolus fractures, 3 anterolateral fragments, and 3 medial malleolus fractures. Twenty-seven of 29 fractures (93%) were associated with spiral type fracture patterns (p = 0.001). Seventeen of 29 (59%) intra-articular fractures required operative fixation. Seventy-six percent were noncontiguous fractures. The radiologist detected 20 of 29 (69%) intra-articular fractures using high-resolution monitors, and the orthopedic surgeons averaged 13 of 29 (45%) using initial injury radiographs in the emergency department. CONCLUSION Plain radiographs are often insufficient for detecting posterior malleolus fractures in conjunction with ipsilateral distal third diaphyseal tibia fractures. Using a preoperative CT protocol for tibial shaft fractures can significantly improve the ability to diagnose associated intra-articular fractures that may not be evident on plain radiographs. Knowledge of these associated intra-articular fractures may prompt fracture stabilization and can prevent displacement during intramedullary nailing of tibia shaft fractures.
Effects of Emotional Intelligence and Creativity Thinking Training on Improving the Emotional Intelligence of Recidivists in Lagos State, Nigeria

Accepted: 01.12. 2014 The study was designed to explore the effects of emotional intelligence and creativity thinking on improving the emotional intelligence of recidivists in Lagos State, Nigeria. The researchers adopted the quantitative research method using the quasi experimental, pre -test, posttest and control group design. The sample consisted of eighty five male recidivists who have been convicted more than once. The multi stage sampling technique was employed to obtain the sample for the study. Two instruments namely Akinboye emotional intelligence test and the Male Recidivist Personal Data Questionnaire were used to obtain data from the participants. Data obtained was analysed statistically with the SPSS version 22 employing the OneWay Analysis of Variance and Bonferroni Multiple Comparisons. The result reveals that the two techniques; emotional intelligence and six thinking hats were effective in improving the emotional intelligence of male recidivists. Based on the findings of the study it is recommended that emotional intelligence and creativity thinking techniques be included in a prison’s rehabilitation programme to improve the emotional intelligence of it’s inmates. It is also suggested that counseling clinics managed by professional counselors be established in prisons to attend to the emotional, psychological and mental needs of the prison inmates. These recommendations will ensure effective rehabilitation of prison inmates and in the long run reduce the rate of recidivism.
Dyson: An Architecture for Extensible Wireless LANs

Dyson is a new software architecture for building customizable WLANs. While research in wireless networks has made great strides, these advancements have not seen the light of day in real WLAN deployments. One of the key reasons is that today's WLANs are not architected to embrace change. For example, system administrators cannot fine-tune the association policy for their particular environment: an administrator may know certain nodes in certain locations interfere with each other and cause a severe degradation in throughput, and hence, such associations must be avoided in the particular deployment. Dyson defines a set of APIs that allow clients and APs to send pertinent information such as radio channel conditions to a central controller. The central controller processes this information, to form a global view of the network. This global view, combined with historical information about spatial and temporal usage patterns, allows the central controller enact a rich set of policies to control the network's behavior. Dyson provides a Python-based scripting API that allows the central controller's policies to be extended for site-specific customizations and new optimizations that leverage historical knowledge. We have built a prototype implementation of Dyson, which currently runs on a 28-node testbed distributed across one floor of a typical academic building. Using this testbed, we examine various aspects of the architecture in detail, and demonstrate the ease of implementing a wide range of policies. Using Dyson, we demonstrate optimizing associations, handling VoIP clients, reserving airtime for specific users, and optimizing handoffs for mobile clients.