Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Graduates’ perspectives on their Early Childhood Studies programmes and employment opportunities

ABSTRACT This study explores perceptions of recent graduates from UK institutions who have undertaken Early Childhood Studies (ECS) degrees, following on from a similar study nearly two decades ago. Although there are clear similarities, it is the differences which bring a new dimension and focus. Data were gathered from graduates at 11 UK institutions through an electronic questionnaire and a follow-up focus group interview. Analysis of the data demonstrated that the degrees were highly rated by the graduates but not always understood or known about by employers and careers advisors. Sufficient opportunity for spending supervised time in a relevant setting (practice) was regarded as an essential component of the degrees, but this was not always available. Considerable differences in employment opportunities for the graduates in the two studies were evident from the data, as the newer graduates found achieving employment in the sector was often a challenge, unlike the graduates in the earlier study. Despite not often gaining ‘graduate’ employment, almost all participants believed they had improved their employment prospects since completing their programmes. Graduates’ motivations for their programme choice were similar in both studies. The relevance and influence of the programmes, including advocacy and political awareness, and the employment opportunities following their degree programmes, had changed.
Release and bioavailability of C, N, P Se, and Fe following viral lysis of a marine chrysophyte

The potential importance of the viral lysis of phytoplankton for nutrient and carbon cycling has been acknowledged, but no quantitative assessments of this phenomenon exist. Radiotracer experiments examined the release and bioavailability of C, N, P, Fe, and Se following viral lysis of the “brown tide” chrysophyte Aureococcus anophagefferens. Photochemical effects on the dissolved‐particulate partitioning and biological uptake of virally released elements were also investigated. Viral lysis of A. anophagefferens released 50% more C and Se than uninfected control cells to the dissolved phase, while N, P, and Fe remained in the particulate phase. There was a significant inverse correlation between A. anophagefferens and bacterial densities, as well as an increase in particulate organic nitrogen levels in cultures during viral lysis. These observations indicate that released dissolved organic matter supported bacterial growth and may be a pathway by which various elements are diverted in microbial food webs. Dissolved nutrients released by viral lysis were accumulated to varying degrees by natural assemblages of marine bacteria and cultured diatoms, and virally regenerated N and P relieved diatom nutrient limitation. During a 4‐wk incubation, 80% of C and P within cell lysis debris was released to the dissolved phase, likely due to bacterial activity. Photochemical degradation of cell lysis debris enhanced dissolved levels of Se (100%) and Fe (50%) and reduced total dissolved C by 15%. Photochemistry doubled the bioavailabiliity of virally released Se to diatoms, while decreasing the bioavailability of C to bacteria threefold. The viral lysis of an A. anophagefferens bloom in the field could release 40 µM dissolved organic carbon and rapidly transfer other released elements to bacteria. Such occurrences may significantly affect water column chemistry, species composition, and succession within marine plankton communities.
NAND Flash-Based Disk Cache Using SLC/MLC Combined Flash Memory

Flash memory-based non-volatile cache (NVC) is emerging as an effective solution for enhancing both the performances and the energy consumptions of storage systems. In order to attain significant performance and energy gains from NVC, it would be better to use multi-level-cell (MLC) flash memories since they can provide a large NVC capacity at low cost. However, the number of available program/erase cycles of MLC flash memory is smaller than that of single-level-cell (SLC) flash memory, which limits the lifespan of an NVC. In order to overcome this limitation, SLC/MLC combined flash memory is a promising solution for use in NVC. This paper proposes an effective management scheme for heterogeneous SLC and MLC regions of combined flash memory. It also proposes a design technique which is able to determine the optimal proportion between the two regions that maximizes performance and energy reduction, guaranteeing the lifespan constraint. We show experimentally how performance, lifespan, and energy consumption of the NVC-embedded hard disk change depending upon the configuration of the combined flash memory. We also show the superiority of the proposed NVC management policy in comparison to alternative policies.
What we have learned, and not learned, from TREC

The Text REtrieval Conference (TREC), started in 1992, is a workshop series designed to encourage research on text retrieval for realistic applications by providing large test collections, uniform scoring procedures, and a forum for organizations interested in comparing results. The number of participating systems has grown from 25 in TREC-1 to 66 in TREC-8, including participants from 16 diierent countries. This paper examines what has collectively been learned from this massive evaluation eeort, and where knowledge gaps still exist.
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS OF IBA (INDULEBUTYRIC ACID) HORMONE AND CUTTING SEASON ON THE ROOTING OF THE CUTTINGS OF OLIVE (OLEA EUROPAEA VAR MANZANILLA)

Objective: In order to study the effect of different concentrations of IBA hormone on rooting of olive cuttings in spring and winter of 2012-2013 in a greenhouse in Jiroft, Iran. Methods: a split-plot experiment was conducted on the basis of a Randomized Complete Block Design in which hardwood cuttings of one-year-old olive plants cv. Manzanilla with the diameter of 0.7-1 cm were used. The main plot was devoted to cutting seasons at two levels of spring (late-May) and winter (late-January) and the sub-plot was devoted to IBA (indulebutyric acid) hormone treatment at five levels of 0, 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 ppm. Results: It was found that 3000 ppm IBA increased the number of roots, the percentage of rooted cuttings, branch length, and root:shoot fresh weight. In traits such as root length and root dry weight, the highest effect was observed under the treatment with 4000 ppm IBA. But, control treatment had the lowest effect on the traits of rooting in olive cuttings. Cuttings planted in spring showed the highest effect on their evaluated traits (by 10-15%) with a significant difference with those planted in winter. The interaction between hormone and planting time was significant only for root fresh weight.
Antibody to calretinin stains AII amacrine cells in the rabbit retina: Double‐label and confocal analyses

The AII or rod amacrine cell is a critical interneuron in the rod pathway of mammalian retinae. In this report, it is shown that commercially available antibodies to the calcium binding protein calretinin may be used to label the population of AII amacrine cells selectively. Calretinin‐positive amacrine cells had the morphological attributes of AII amacrine cells. Double‐labeling procedures showed that calretinin‐positive somata were surrounded by dopaminergic varicosities and that calretinin‐positive dendrites enclosed rod bipolar terminals, both as previously described for AII amacrine cells. By analyzing the surrounding kernel for each labeled pixel in the rod bipolar image, it is shown here that AII processes are adjacent to rod bipolar terminals at a level that far exceeds the random overlap present in images in which one label was rotated out of phase. Such a spatial relationship is indicative of synaptic connections, as well described for rod bipolar input to AII amacrine cells. AII amacrine cells also were double‐labeled for calretinin and parvalbumin; however, a scattergram analysis of red versus green intensity showed that the parvalbumin antibody stained additional unidentified amacrine cells. In conclusion, at the appropriate dilution, calretinin antibodies are a useful marker for AII amacrine cells in the rabbit retina. J. Comp. Neurol. 411:3–18, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evidence of Disillusionment of Younger Cohorts in Higher Education in India

With increasing demand for quality education, it is imperative for universities to attract and retain good faculty. This study explores the effect of demographic and some external factors on faculty satisfaction. The analysis is based on a nationwide survey of full-time faculty across 1,000 colleges and institutes in India. Results show that senior faculty is more satisfied than younger ones. Policy makers in higher education and university administrators should take this input to take corrective steps to ensure teaching as a career remains attractive and competes successfully with other career options available to young eligible graduates.
The Relationship Between Critical Thinking Skills and Democratic Attitudes of 4th Class Primary School Students

This research aims to explore the relationship between critical thinking skills and democratic attitudes of 4th class primary school students. The research used a relational screening model, which is one of the screening models. The sample consisted of 221 4th class students who were selected by the simple random sampling method. The study has employed the ‘Critical Thinking Scale’ and the ‘Democratic Attitude Scale’. Descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), Pearson product-moment correlation analysis and simple linear regression analysis were used to analyse the data. The results have revealed that 4th class primary school students have a high level of critical thinking skills and democratic attitudes. No significant difference has been determined between students’ critical thinking skills in terms of gender, while a significant difference has been identified for democratic attitudes in favour of female students. The results also have suggested a medium-level relationship between students' critical thinking skills and their democratic attitudes, and that critical thinking skills significantly predict democratic attitudes.
Effects of the combination of microfracture and self-assembling Peptide filling on the repair of a clinically relevant trochlear defect in an equine model.

BACKGROUND The goal of this study was to test the ability of an injectable self-assembling peptide (KLD) hydrogel, with or without microfracture, to augment articular cartilage defect repair in an equine cartilage defect model involving strenuous exercise. METHODS Defects 15 mm in diameter were created on the medial trochlear ridge and debrided down to the subchondral bone. Four treatment groups (n = 8 each) were tested: no treatment (empty defect), only defect filling with KLD, only microfracture, and microfracture followed by filling with KLD. Horses were given strenuous exercise throughout the one-year study. Evaluations included lameness, arthroscopy, radiography, and gross, histologic, immunohistochemical, biochemical, and biomechanical analyses. RESULTS Overall, KLD-only treatment of defects provided improvement in clinical symptoms and improved filling compared with no treatment, and KLD-only treatment protected against radiographic changes compared with microfracture treatment. Defect treatment with only microfracture also resulted in improved clinical symptoms compared with no treatment, and microfracture treatment resulted in repair tissue containing greater amounts of aggrecan and type-II collagen compared with KLD-only treatment. Microfracture treatment also protected against synovial fibrosis compared with no treatment and KLD-only treatment. Treatment with the self-assembling KLD peptide in combination with microfracture resulted in no additional improvements over microfracture-only treatment. In general, the nature of the predominant tissue in the defects was a mix of noncartilaginous and fibrocartilage tissue, with no significant differences among the treatments. CONCLUSIONS Treatment of defects with only KLD or with only microfracture resulted in an improvement in clinical symptoms compared with no treatment; the improvement likely resulted from different causes depending on the treatment. Whereas microfracture improved the quality of repair tissue, KLD improved the amount of filling and protected against radiographic changes. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Treatment of defects with only microfracture and with KLD only resulted in clinical improvements compared with untreated defects, despite differing with respect to the structural improvements that they induced.
Interpreter traits and the relationship with technology and visibility

Research on technology and interpreting regularly investigates technology-mediated interpreting settings and contrasts various interpreting configurations to better understand how technology changes the interpreting task. This scholarship generally does not account for various personality or character attributes exhibited by interpreters, nor does it examine the actual adoption and usage of these tools. This article presents findings from a survey-based study that examines several interpreter-specific constructs, namely their self-perception of the interpreter’s role and communication apprehension, in conjunction with attitudes toward technology use and adoption. Findings suggest that community interpreters differ from their conference interpreting counterparts and that domain-specific differences emerge between medical and court interpreters with respect to their perceived role and their propensity to adopt new technologies.
SUBMILLIMETER CONTINUUM PROPERTIES OF COLD DUST IN THE INNER DISK AND OUTFLOWS OF M 82

Deep submillimeter (submm) continuum imaging observations of the starburst galaxy M 82 are presented at 350, 450, 750, and 850 μm wavelengths, which were undertaken with the Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii. The presented maps include a co-addition of submm data mined from the SCUBA Data Archive. The co-added data produce the deepest submm continuum maps yet of M 82, in which low-level 850 μm continuum has been detected out to 1.5 kpc, at least 10% farther in radius than any previously published submm detections of this galaxy. The overall submm morphology and spatial spectral energy distribution of M 82 have a general north-south asymmetry consistent with Hα and X-ray winds, supporting the association of the extended continuum with outflows of dust grains from the disk into the halo. The new data raise interesting points about the origin and structure of the submm emission in the inner disk of M 82. In particular, SCUBA short wavelength evidence of submm continuum peaks that are asymmetrically distributed along the galactic disk suggests that the inner-disk emission is reradiation from dust concentrations along a bar (or perhaps a spiral) rather than edges of a dust torus, as is commonly assumed. Higher resolution submm interferometery data from the Smithsonian Submillimeter Array and later Atacama Large Millimeter Array should spatially resolve and further constrain the reported dust emission structures in M 82.
Performance Analysis of Adaptive Volterra Filters in the Finite-Alphabet Input Case

This paper deals with the analysis of adaptive Volterra filters, driven by the LMS algorithm, in the finite-alphabet inputs case. A tailored approach for the input context is presented and used to analyze the behavior of this nonlinear adaptive filter. Complete and rigorous mean square analysis is provided without any constraining independence assumption. Exact transient and steady-state performances expressed in terms of critical step size, rate of transient decrease, optimal step size, excess mean square error in stationary mode, and tracking nonstationarities are deduced.
Localization and navigation using QR code for mobile robot in indoor environment

Localization and navigation are fundamental issues to mobile robotics. An approach for localization and navigation for a mobile robot in indoor environment is proposed in this paper. In this approach, QR codes are used as landmarks to provide global pose references. Label and location information is stored in QR codes which are strategically placed in the operating environment. The mobile robot is equipped with an industrial camera pointing to the ceiling to read QR codes at high speed. The pose of the robot is estimated according to the positional relationship between QR codes and the robot. For the purpose of collision-free navigation, a laser range finder (LRF) is applied to build a map in unknown environment and detect obstacles. Dijkstra algorithm and Dynamic Window Approach (DWA) are applied in path planning based on a 2D grid map. Experimental results show that this approach has good feasibility and effectiveness.
Adaptation in Digital Games: The Effect of Challenge Adjustment on Player Performance and Experience

Good gaming experiences hinge on players being able to have a balance between challenge and skill. However, achieving that balance is challenging, so dynamic difficulty adjustment offers the opportunity to provide better gaming experiences through adapting the challenge in the game to suit an individual's capabilities. The risk though is that in adapting the difficulty, players do not get a true sense of challenge, but rather some tailored, perhaps watered down experience. In this note, we report on a study, in which we used time manipulation as a method of simple adaptation in order to explore its effect on player experience (PX) and performance. Volunteers played a game in which the timer was adjusted based on their performance in the game, however they were not aware of the feature. The results showed that players in the experimental group found the game more immersive. This provides empirical support that dynamic difficulty adjustment could be used to improve the PX.
Production, Manufacturing and Logistics Alternative Formulations of a Combined Trip Generation, Trip Distribution, Modal Split, and Trip Assignment Model

Keywords: Transportation Combined travel demand model Random utility Mathematical programming Variational inequality a b s t r a c t The traditional four-step model has been widely used in travel demand forecasting by considering trip generation, trip distribution, modal split and traffic assignment sequentially in a fixed order. However, this sequential approach suffers from the inconsistency among the level-of-service and flow values in each step of the procedure. In the last two decades, this problem has been addressed by many researchers who have sought to develop combined (or integrated) models that can consider travelers' choice on different stages simultaneously and give consistent results. In this paper, alternative formulations, including mathematical programming (MP) formulation and variational inequality (VI) formulations, are provided for a combined travel demand model that integrates trip generation, trip distribution, modal split, and traffic assignment using the random utility theory framework. Thus, the proposed alternative formulations not only allow a systematic and consistent treatment of travel choice over different dimensions but also have behavioral richness. Qualitative properties of the formulations are also given to ensure the existence and uniqueness of the solution. Particularly, the model is analyzed for a special but useful case where the probabilistic travel choices are assumed to be a hierarchical logit model. Furthermore, a self-adaptive Goldstein–Levitin–Polyak (GLP) projection algorithm is adopted for solving this special case. The traditional four-step model has been widely used in travel demand forecasting. It considers trip generation (travel choice), trip distribution (destination choice), modal split (mode choice) and traffic assignment (route choice) sequentially in a top-down sequential process (Ortuzar and Willumsen, 2001). The outputs of one step serve as the inputs of the next step. In practice, it has been criticized by its inherent weakness, such as lack of a single unifying rationale that would explain or legitimize all aspects of demand jointly. It also suffers from inconsistent consideration of travel times and congestion effects in various steps of the proce-A common approach to remedy this inconsistency is to introduce a 'feedback' mechanism into the computational procedures. However, the convergence is not guaranteed. Thus, many simultaneous models have been proposed using behavioral assumptions (typically from random utility theory) as mathematical conditions to seek solutions that satisfy these conditions. The word 'simultaneous' is to solve the various travel choices concurrently to resolve the inconsistency problem in the sequential four-step model. Therefore, these models are often referred to as 'combined' or …
Joint Label Consistent Dictionary Learning and Adaptive Label Prediction for Semisupervised Machine Fault Classification

In this paper, we propose a semisupervised label consistent dictionary learning (SSDL) framework for machine fault classification. SSDL is a semisupervised extension of recent fully supervised label consistent dictionary learning approach, since the number of labeled machine data is usually limited in practice. To enable the supervised dictionary learning model to use both labeled and commonly readily available unlabeled data for enhancing performance, we propose to incorporate the merits of label prediction and present a joint label consistent dictionary learning and adaptive label prediction technique. In this setting, we first employ the existing label prediction model to estimate the labels of unlabeled training signals in a transductive fashion for enriching supervised prior. Then, we use predicted labeled data for label consistent dictionary learning. After that, we apply the discriminant sparse codes as the adaptive reconstruction weights for label prediction to update the estimated labels of unlabeled training data and the discriminative sparse codes matrix for label consistent dictionary learning so that classification performance can be enhanced. Thus, an informative dictionary, a sparse-code matrix, and an optimal multiclass classifier can be alternately obtained from one objective function. Besides, the tricky process of choosing optimal kernel width and neighborhood size can also be effectively voided in our scheme due to the adaptive weights. Extensive simulations on several machine fault datasets show that our SSDL method can deliver enhanced performance over other state-of-the-arts for machine fault classification.
Number 720 R Radical Innovation for Multi-Dimensional Technologies

We model a rm's decisions about product innovation, focusing on the extent to which features should be improved or changed in the succession of models that comprise a life cycle. We show that the structure of revenues and costs can suggest when a rm should pursue radical innovation. We use the criterion of maximizing the expected present value of pro ts during the life cycle. Computational studies complement the theoretical results and lead to insights about when to bundle innovations across features. The formalization was in uenced by extensive interviews with managers in a high technology rm that dominates its industry.