Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding gender politics in literature: A study of the tenant of wildfell hall by Anne Bronte

This paper attempts to analyze characterization patterns of male characters in female writing. The aim of this study is to explore the construction of female gender subjectivity while representing male characters in their novels. It has generally been considered that gender politics plays a very significant role in depicting male and female characterization in literature. Female authors engage themselves in over exaltation of female characters and display liking towards them by foregrounding the strengths of their female characters over their weaknesses; and reveal degeneration of male counterparts. Similarly male authors are inherently inclined towards male characters and reflect patriarchy in their works. It has also been analyzed that genuine representation of men by women writers and women by men writers, is not possible; there is always writer’s gender subjectivity involved in the representation of characters. Gender identity and gendered representation are the focal concerns in this analysis and I have selected Anne Bronte’s novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall for my gender analysis.This research concludes that gender – apart from biological sex – plays a vital role in determining male and female characterization in literature. Female gender characteristics permeate in the portrayal of male character, language and psychology. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013. v4n11p734
A 8 Gbps blind oversampling CDR with frequency offset compensation over infinite burst

This paper presents a 8 Gbps high jitter tolerance (JTOL) corner-frequency hybrid CDR that employs blind oversampling phase detector in conjunction with digital proportional integral controller (PIC) for phase/frequency tracking with +/-4000ppm frequency offset compensation over infinite burst. Need of the elasticity buffer has been obviated by using a method of time-varying divider ratios in word-clock generation. Analytical treatment of the CDR dynamics and insight into its JTOL are also presented. Short lock time and tracking over infinite burst make this CDR reusable across applications requiring either burst or continuous mode support. The device exhibits a JTOL corner-frequency of 50MHz and total jitter tolerance floor of 0.52 UI peak-to-peak @ BER of 10-10 in 28nm CMOS technology with 1.0V supply.
CacheRAID: An Efficient Adaptive Write Cache Policy to Conserve RAID Disk Array Energy

Cloud storage is a hot topic at the moment with Google's Google Storage, Microsoft's Sky Drive, iCloud, Drop box, Mozy and dozens of others. Because of these applications, conserving energy of storage systems is becoming a growing concern in current storage technology. The factors of disk power consumption include disk idle time, poor random writing performance and random read in distributed file systems. Hence, we present an adaptive write cache mechanism - Cache RAID. Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disk (RAID) is widely used in modern distributed storage systems. Our Cache RAID aims to improve the random access problems that implicitly exist in RAID techniques to create more idle time of hard drives, and conserve RAID disk array energy. The experimental results show that Cache RAID storage system can conserved 50%~70% of the power consumption compared to the conventional software RAID system.
Baseline serum cholestanol as predictor of recurrent coronary events in subgroup of Scandinavian simvastatin survival study

Abstract Objectives: To investigate whether baseline serum cholestanol:cholesterol ratio, which is negatively related to cholesterol synthesis, could predict reduction of coronary events in the Scandinavian simvastatin survival study. Design: Follow up of patients with coronary heart disease in whom baseline ratios were related to major coronary events. Setting: Four universities in Finland. Subjects: A subgroup of 868 patients with coronary heart disease selected from the Scandinavian simvastatin survival study. Intervention: Treatment with simvastatin or placebo. Main outcome measures: Serum concentrations of low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, total triglyceride concentration, and cholesterol:cholestanol ratio. Major coronary events. Results: With increasing baseline quarter of cholestanol distribution the reduction in relative risk increased gradually from 0.623 (95% confidence interval 0.395 to 0.982) to 1.166 (0.791 to 1.72). The risk of recurrence of major coronary events increased 2.2-fold (P<0.01) by multiple logistic regression analysis between the lowest and highest quarter of cholestanol. The ratio of cholestanol was related inversely to the body mass index and directly to high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations but their quarters of distribution were not related to risk reduction. Conclusions: Measurement of serum cholestanol concentration revealed a subgroup of patients with coronary heart disease in whom coronary events were not reduced by simvastatin treatment. Thus, patients with high baseline synthesis of cholesterol seem to be responders whereas those with low synthesis of cholesterol are non-responders.
Image retrieval with hierarchical matching pursuit

A novel representation of images for image retrieval is introduced in this paper, by using a new type of feature with remarkable discriminative power. Despite the multi-scale nature of objects, most existing models perform feature extraction on a fixed scale, which will inevitably degrade the performance of the whole system. Motivated by this, we introduce a hierarchical sparse coding architecture for image retrieval to explore multi-scale cues. Sparse codes extracted on lower layers are transmitted to higher layers recursively. With this mechanism, cues from different scales are fused. Experiments on the Holidays dataset show that the proposed method achieves an excellent retrieval performance with a small code length.
The Mediating Role of Gratitude in the Influence of Children` and Adolescents` Empathy and Guilt on Helping Behavior

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between children and adolescents` moral emotions - empathy, guilt and gratitude - and helping behavior. For this study, questionnaires on empathy, guilt, gratitude and helping behavior were administered to 938 students in the 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th grades attending elementary, middle and high school in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The data were analyzed through frequency analysis, mean, standard deviation, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson`s correlation, enter multiple regression analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis by using SPSS Win 12.0. The main findings of this study are as follows: Firstly, by gender, empathy, guilt and helping behavior differed significantly, also, by grade, empathy, guilt, gratitude and helping behavior differed significantly. In addition, religion made a significant difference in empathy, gratitude and helping behavior. Secondly, variables influencing helping behavior were found to differ by developmental stage. The variable influencing the helping behavior of elementary school students was found to be empathic concern. For middle school students, guilt was found to influence their helping behavior, while for high school students, perspective-taking was found to be the key variable. Thirdly, gratitude was found to have a partial mediating effect on the relation between empathy(or guilt) and helping behavior.
DRS: Dynamic Resource Scheduling for Real-Time Analytics over Fast Streams

In a data stream management system (DSMS), users register continuous queries, and receive result updates as data arrive and expire. We focus on applications with real-time constraints, in which the user must receive each result update within a given period after the update occurs. To handle fast data, the DSMS is commonly placed on top of a cloud infrastructure. Because stream properties such as arrival rates can fluctuate unpredictably, cloud resources must be dynamically provisioned and scheduled accordingly to ensure real-time response. It is essential, for the existing systems or future developments, to possess the ability of scheduling resources dynamically according to the current workload, in order to avoid wasting resources, or failing in delivering correct results on time. Motivated by this, we propose DRS, a novel dynamic resource scheduler for cloud-based DSMSs. DRS overcomes three fundamental challenges: (a) how to model the relationship between the provisioned resources and query response time (b) where to best place resources, and (c) how to measure system load with minimal overhead. In particular, DRS includes an accurate performance model based on the theory of Jackson open queueing networks and is capable of handling arbitrary operator topologies, possibly with loops, splits and joins. Extensive experiments with real data confirm that DRS achieves real-time response with close to optimal resource consumption.
Differential isoform expression of small conductance Ca 2+ -activated K + channels, SK1, SK2 and SK3 channels in mouse atrial and ventricular myocytes

Address for correspondence and proofs: Nipavan Chiamvimonvat Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine University of California, Davis Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility 451 East Health Sciences Drive, Room 6315 Davis, CA 95616 voice: (530) 754-7158 fax: (530) 754-7167 email: nchiamvimonvat@ucdavis.edu Articles in PresS. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol (July 29, 2005). doi:10.1152/ajph art.00534. 2005
Selecting explanations from causal chains: Do statistical principles explain preferences for voluntary causes?

We investigate whether people prefer voluntary causes to physical causes in unfolding causal chains and whether statistical (covariation, sufficiency) principles can predict how people select explanations. Experiment 1 shows that while people tend to prefer a proximal (more recent) cause in chains of unfolding physical events, causality is traced through the proximal cause to an underlying distal (less recent) cause when that cause is a human action. Experiment 2 shows that causal preference is more strongly correlated with judgements of sufficiency and conditionalised sufficiency than with covariation or conditionalised covariation. In addition, sufficiency judgements are partial mediators of the effect of type of distal cause (voluntary or physical) on causal preference. The preference for voluntary causes to physical causes corroborates findings from social psychology, cognitive neuroscience and jurisprudence that emphasise the primacy of intentions in causal attribution processes.
This One Is More Me! What Children Think about Writing Test Stimuli Involving Choice.

This study follows from a previous study into children's attitudes to writing test stimulus features. In that study the views of 192 English eleven-year-olds were surveyed using a questionnaire. The survey found that the children were mainly influenced by features that they felt contributed to task difficulty. A qualitative study was designed in order to investigate children's views in more depth. Stimuli were constructed containing various features that children in the earlier study had suggested contributed to task difficulty. The children's ideas relating to the stimuli were elicited using a modified version of Kelly's repertory grid technique.
Targeted Mutagenesis in Pathogenic Leptospira Species: Disruption of the LigB Gene Does Not Affect Virulence in Animal Models of Leptospirosis

ABSTRACT The pathogenic mechanisms of Leptospira interrogans, the causal agent of leptospirosis, remain largely unknown. This is mainly due to the lack of tools for genetically manipulating pathogenic Leptospira species. Thus, homologous recombination between introduced DNA and the corresponding chromosomal locus has never been demonstrated for this pathogen. Leptospiral immunoglobulin-like repeat (Lig) proteins were previously identified as putative Leptospira virulence factors. In this study, a ligB mutant was constructed by allelic exchange in L. interrogans; in this mutant a spectinomycin resistance (Spcr) gene replaced a portion of the ligB coding sequence. Gene disruption was confirmed by PCR, immunoblot analysis, and immunofluorescence studies. The ligB mutant did not show decrease virulence compared to the wild-type strain in the hamster model of leptospirosis. In addition, inoculation of rats with the ligB mutant induced persistent colonization of the kidneys. Finally, LigB was not required to mediate bacterial adherence to cultured cells. Taken together, our data provide the first evidence of site-directed homologous recombination in pathogenic Leptospira species. Furthermore, our data suggest that LigB does not play a major role in dissemination of the pathogen in the host and in the development of acute disease manifestations or persistent renal colonization.
Is a safety guidewire needed for retrograde ureteroscopy?

INTRODUCTION It is generally advised to have a safety guidewire (SGW) present during ureteroscopy (URS) to manage possible complications. However, it increases the strenght needed to insert and retract the endoscope during the procedure, and, currently, there is a lack of solid data supporting the need for SGW in all procedures. We reviewed the literature about SGW utilization during URS. METHOD A review of the literature was conducted through April 2017 using PubMed, Ovid, and The Cochrane Library databases to identify relevant studies. The primary outcome was to report stone-free rates, feasibility, contraindications to and complications of performing intrarenal retrograde flexible and semi-rigid URS without the use of a SGW. RESULTS Six studies were identified and selected for this review, and overall they included 1,886 patients where either semi-rigid or flexible URS was performed without the use of a SGW for the treatment of urinary calculi disease. Only one study reported stone-free rates with or without SGW at 77.1 and 85.9%, respectively (p=0.001). None of the studies showed increased rates of complications in the absence of SGW and one of them showed more post-endoscopic ureteral stenosis whenever SGW was routinely used. All studies recommended utilization of SGW in complicated cases, such as ureteral stones associated with significant edema, ureteral stricture, abnormal anatomy or difficult visualization. CONCLUSION Our review showed a lack of relevant data supporting the use of SGW during retrograde URS. A well-designed prospective randomized trial is in order.
Gaining insights into cancer biology through exploration of the cancer secretome using proteomic and bioinformatic tools

ABSTRACT Introduction: Tumor-associated proteins released by cancer cells and by tumor stroma cells, referred as ‘cancer secretome’, represent a valuable resource for discovery of potential cancer biomarkers. The last decade was marked by a great increase in number of studies focused on various aspects of cancer secretome including, composition and identification of components externalized by malignant cells and by the components of tumor microenvironment. Areas covered: Here, we provide an overview of achievements in the proteomic analysis of the cancer secretome, elicited through the tumor-associated interstitial fluid recovered from malignant tissues ex vivo or the protein component of conditioned media obtained from cultured cancer cells in vitro. We summarize various bioinformatic tools and approaches and critically appraise their outcomes, focusing on problems and challenges that arise when applied for the analysis of cancer secretomic databases. Expert commentary: Recent achievements in the omics- analysis of structural and metabolic aspects of altered cancer secretome contribute greatly to the various hallmarks of cancer including the identification of clinically significant biomarkers and potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
Association of optic disc size with development and prognosis of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy.

PURPOSE To study the optic nerve head (ONH) morphology of patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in a large family from Brazil carrying the 11778/ND4 mutation and in a case series of unrelated Italian families bearing different mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) pathogenic mutations. METHODS Enrolled in the study were 15 LHON-affected patients (LHON-affected) and 45 LHON unaffected mutation carriers (LHON carriers) belonging to the previously reported Brazilian SOA-BR LHON pedigree and 56 LHON-affected and 101 LHON carriers from 45 unrelated LHON Italian pedigrees molecularly defined. The LHON-affected were subgrouped according to the extent of visual recovery. All individuals underwent optic nerve head (ONH) analysis by optical coherence tomography. RESULTS In the Brazilian sample, the mean optic disc area was significantly larger in LHON carriers than in the control group (P=0.002). In the Italian sample, the mean optic disc area and vertical disc diameter were significantly higher in LHON carriers than in both LHON-affected (respectively, P=0.008 and P<0.001) and control subjects (P<0.001 in both cases). The LHON-affected with visual recovery had a significantly larger vertical disc diameter when compared with those without visual recovery (P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS The results, revealing that the ONH size is larger in LHON carriers than in LHON-affected, suggest a protective role for this anatomic trait. Such a hypothesis is reinforced by the observation that, among the LHON-affected, larger discs correlated with visual recovery and better visual outcome. The findings may be relevant for prognosis and provide a mechanism for identifying nuclear-modifying genes implicated in the variability of penetrance in LHON.
A Scheme for Low Path Loss in Object Monitoring with Sensor Network

The usage of sensor network is rapidly growing, and monitoring mobile object is one of important applications of sensor network. A sensor node in the network has limited energy, and thus one key issue here is energy efficiency to prolong the network lifetime. In this paper we propose a new scheme minimizing the energy consumed for handling the path loss problem occurring between the tracking sensor and gateway node. This is achieved by dividing the sensor network into concentric layers and sectors to decrease the distance between the communicating nodes. Computer simulation shows that the proposed scheme can significantly lower the path loss compared to the existing target tracking scheme.
The Armchair Traveler's Guide to Digital Environmental Humanities

The technological mediation of near and distant landscapes have long fascinated scholars and the public alike, and it seems like this interest peaks around times of large-scale technological transition, when new modes of both transportation and mediation become available. Few scholars have analyzed this relationship between technology, media, and the perception of landscape as convincingly as Wolfgang Schivelbusch, who famously argued that the landscape perceived by travelers was filtered through the machine ensemble of the railroad system. This article brings Schivelbusch's thesis into the digital age as a way of examining the spatiality of digital media and the natural world. The article analyzes a series of technologically mediated digital representations of travel and movement through landscapes, in particular the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation's "slow travel" series of digitally enhanced TV programs. These highly popular mediations of railroad or boat travel challenge Schivelbusch's ideas of speed, distance, and experience of landscapes, but also direct our attention towards the role of digital media in making sense of a changing world. The empirical reality that made the landscape seen from the train window appear to be "another world" was the railroad itself, with its excavations, tunnels, etc. Yet the railroad was merely an expression of the rail's technological requirements, and the rail itself was a constituent part of the machine ensemble that was the system. It was, in other words, that machine ensemble that interjected itself between the traveler and the landscape. The traveler perceived the landscape as it was filtered through the machine ensemble. -Wolfgang Schivelbusch 1
The Wildcat Corpus of Native-and Foreign-accented English: Communicative Efficiency across Conversational Dyads with Varying Language Alignment Profiles

This paper describes the development of the Wildcat Corpus of native- and foreign-accented English, a corpus containing scripted and spontaneous speech recordings from 24 native speakers of American English and 52 non-native speakers of English. The core element of this corpus is a set of spontaneous speech recordings, for which a new method of eliciting dialogue-based, laboratory-quality speech recordings was developed (the Diapix task). Dialogues between two native speakers of English, between two non-native speakers of English (with either shared or different L1s), and between one native and one non-native speaker of English are included and analyzed in terms of general measures of communicative efficiency. The overall finding was that pairs of native talkers were most efficient, followed by mixed native/non-native pairs and non-native pairs with shared L1. Non-native pairs with different L1s were least efficient. These results support the hypothesis that successful speech communication depends both on the alignment of talkers to the target language and on the alignment of talkers to one another in terms of native language background.
HetNets Selection by Clients: Convergence, Efficiency, and Practicality

We study the dynamics of network selection in heterogeneous wireless networks based on client-side control. Clients in such networks selfishly select the best radio access technology (RAT) that maximizes their own throughputs. We study two general classes of throughput models that capture the basic properties of random access (e.g., Wi-Fi) and scheduled access (e.g., WiMAX, LTE, and 3G) networks. Formulating the problem as a non-cooperative game, we study its existence of equilibria, convergence time, efficiency, and practicality. Our results reveal that: 1) single-class RAT selection games converge to Nash equilibria, while an improvement path can be repeated infinitely with a mixture of classes; 2) we provide tight bounds on the convergence time of these games; 3) we analyze the Pareto-efficiency of the Nash equilibria of these games, deriving the conditions under which Nash equilibria are Pareto-optimal, and quantifying the distance of equilibria with respect to the set of Pareto-dominant points when the conditions are not satisfied; and 4) with extensive measurement-driven simulations, we show that RAT selection games converge to Nash equilibria in a small number of steps, and are amenable to practical implementation. We also investigate the impact of noisy throughput estimates, and propose solutions to handle them.
A Study of the Efficiency of Line Renderings of 3D Shapes

Shape perception depends on a lot of factors, for example texture or shade. When rendering a surface, the question whether the viewer correctly understands the shape of the rendered object is open. The use of different rendering methods can improve or harm shape recognition. This paper presents various styles of line drawings, three traditionally used and a new one, that we describe here, then evaluates their success at conveying the shape of the underlying object. Each line drawing is generated according to simple rules, using geometric properties of the object, for example the normal vector orientation or the principal directions of curvature. An psychophysical evaluation is then performed to compare the various styles. Participants had to adjust a probe until it matches the normal vector they perceived. Results show that the new style that we propose performs better than the principal directions of curvature, for particular cases.