Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Software metrics: using measurement theory to describe the properties and scales of static software complexity metrics

Over the last decade many software metrics have been introduced by researchers and many software tools have been developed using software metrics to measure the "quality" of programs. These metrics for measuring productivity, reliability, maintainability, and complexity, for example, are vital to software development planning and management. In this paper a new approach is presented to describe the properties of the software metrics and their scales using measurement theory. Methods are shown to describe a software complexity metric as an ordinal, an interval or a ratio scale. The use of this concept is shown by application to the Metric of McCabe. These results are very important for selecting appropriate software metrics for software measurement and for developing tools which use software metrics to evaluate the "quality" of software.
Using Self-Regulated Strategy Development to Help High School Students with EBD Summarize Informational Text in Social Studies

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often struggle to be effective writers. Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is one approach to writing instruction that has demonstrated success for students with EBD. However, there is little research exploring its utility to teach writing to students with EBD in social studies. The current study expanded the literature base by investigating the effectiveness of SRSD to teach summary writing of informational texts to three high school students with EBD served in a residential facility. A researcher taught the SRSD lessons for writing using the mnemonic TWA+PLANS, which stands for Think before reading, think While reading, think After reading and Pick goals, List ways to meet goals, And make Notes, Sequence notes. Using a multiple probe, multiple baseline, across participants design, SRSD instruction resulted in a functional relation with student writing performance, as measured by summary elements, quality, and total written words. Improvement rate differences and Hedges’ g were also large for each variable. The intervention was implemented with high levels of fidelity, as rated by both the interventionist and an outside researcher. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
Elite circulation and the convertibility of knowledge: comparing different types and forms of knowledge and degrees of elite circulation in Europe

Abstract According to classical elite theory, increased circulation is related to increased integration which is thought to increase elites’ power. Based on a comparative analysis of some European countries’ elite education systems, recruitment to elite positions and degrees of circulation – with a specific focus on administrative elites – this article investigates how certain types of knowledge may reinforce elite circulation and integration. The role knowledge plays in facilitating elite circulation is one element, among others, which may be significant in understanding the nature of power held by elites in various societies. 135 interviews with top bureaucrats, students preparing for administrative careers and teachers in the public administration in France, Norway and Britain constitute the empirical basis for this investigation. With an analytical approach focusing on knowledge content and forms of institutionalisation, I examine the competences that legitimise these three countries’ administrative elite positions, and their possibilities for circulating across areas and sectors. The comparative analysis shows how extensive, formalised general knowledge, like the one favoured in France, may facilitate elite circulation more than the more specialised knowledge in Norway and the more informal knowledge favoured in Britain by the training and recruitment systems there.
Building a Better Fragment Library for De Novo Protein Structure Prediction

Fragment-based approaches are the current standard for de novo protein structure prediction. These approaches rely on accurate and reliable fragment libraries to generate good structural models. In this work, we describe a novel method for structure fragment library generation and its application in fragment-based de novo protein structure prediction. The importance of correct testing procedures in assessing the quality of fragment libraries is demonstrated. In particular, the exclusion of homologs to the target from the libraries to correctly simulate a de novo protein structure prediction scenario, something which surprisingly is not always done. We demonstrate that fragments presenting different predominant predicted secondary structures should be treated differently during the fragment library generation step and that exhaustive and random search strategies should both be used. This information was used to develop a novel method, Flib. On a validation set of 41 structurally diverse proteins, Flib libraries presents both a higher precision and coverage than two of the state-of-the-art methods, NNMake and HHFrag. Flib also achieves better precision and coverage on the set of 275 protein domains used in the two previous experiments of the the Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP9 and CASP10). We compared Flib libraries against NNMake libraries in a structure prediction context. Of the 13 cases in which a correct answer was generated, Flib models were more accurate than NNMake models for 10. “Flib is available for download at: http://www.stats. ox.ac. uk/research/proteins/resources”.
NuSTAR Hard X-Ray Survey of the Galactic Center Region. II. X-Ray Point Sources

We present the first survey results of hard X-ray point sources in the Galactic Center (GC) region by NuSTAR. We have discovered 70 hard (3–79 keV) X-ray point sources in a 0.6 deg^2 region around Sgr A* with a total exposure of 1.7 Ms, and 7 sources in the Sgr B2 field with 300 ks. We identify clear Chandra counterparts for 58 NuSTAR sources and assign candidate counterparts for the remaining 19. The NuSTAR survey reaches X-ray luminosities of ∼4× and ∼8 × 10^(32) erg s^(-1) at the GC (8 kpc) in the 3–10 and 10–40 keV bands, respectively. The source list includes three persistent luminous X-ray binaries (XBs) and the likely run-away pulsar called the Cannonball. New source-detection significance maps reveal a cluster of hard (> 10 keV) X-ray sources near the Sgr A diffuse complex with no clear soft X-ray counterparts. The severe extinction observed in the Chandra spectra indicates that all the NuSTAR sources are in the central bulge or are of extragalactic origin. Spectral analysis of relatively bright NuSTAR sources suggests that magnetic cataclysmic variables constitute a large fraction (> 40%–60%). Both spectral analysis and logN–logS distributions of the NuSTAR sources indicate that the X-ray spectra of the NuSTAR sources should have kT > 20 keV on average for a single temperature thermal plasma model or an average photon index of Γ = 1.5–2 for a power-law model. These findings suggest that the GC X-ray source population may contain a larger fraction of XBs with high plasma temperatures than the field population.
Emotions as mediators of the stereotype–discrimination relationship: A BIAS map replication

A central theoretical assumption in the Behaviors from Intergroup Affect and Stereotypes (BIAS) map framework is that emotions mediate the relationships between stereotypes and intergroup behavior. Despite the BIAS map’s popularity, very few studies have tested the model’s mediation hypotheses and none have tested them by replicating the original study (Cuddy, Fiske, & Glick, 2007, Study 1). We provide a replication in a Norwegian sample (N = 244). The results supported that stereotype content is related to behavior tendencies, mediated through emotional prejudices. However, for each of the four behavior outcomes the effect of stereotype content was mediated through one emotion rather than two as predicted by the BIAS map. Our findings both converge and diverge from those of Cuddy and colleagues, and provide support for theoretical propositions unsupported by the original study. Overall, the study provides empirical support for the BIAS map framework and its cross-cultural validity.
Motivations for Learning: Mastery Experiences in a Low Socio-Economic Middle School.

The purpose of this multi-case study was to discover the causes of low self-efficacy for math for a group of historically low-performing 7 th grade students at a high-poverty urban middle school. Bandura’s (1986) Social Cognitive Theory, specifically the concept of self-efficacy. Qualitative methods were used to collect data, including structured one-on-one interviews and classroom observations. In addition, a student survey provided data on student self-efficacy and offered further insight into individual student perceptions. The cross-case analysis surfaced evidence for each of the four sources of self-efficacy. The findings of this study can provide educators with insights into the causes of low self-efficacy for students at the middle grade level and allow researchers to theorize about a broader set of cases related to learning math.
Testing for Environmentally Induced Bias in Phenotypic Estimates of Natural Selection: Theory and Practice

Measuring natural selection has been a fundamental goal of evolutionary biology for more than a century, and techniques developed in the last 20 yr have provided relatively simple means for biologists to do so. Many of these techniques, however, share a common limitation: when applied to phenotypic data, environmentally induced covariances between traits and fitness can lead to biased estimates of selection and misleading predictions about evolutionary change. Utilizing estimates of breeding values instead of phenotypic data with these methods can eliminate environmentally induced bias, although this approach is more difficult to implement. Despite this potential limitation to phenotypic methods and the availability of a potential solution, little empirical evidence exists on the extent of environmentally induced bias in phenotypic estimates of selection. In this article, we present a method for detecting bias in phenotypic estimates of selection and demonstrate its use with three independent data sets. Nearly 25% of the phenotypic selection gradients estimated from our data are biased by environmental covariances. We find that bias caused by environmental covariances appears mainly to affect quantitative estimates of the strength of selection based on phenotypic data and that the magnitude of these biases is large. As our estimates of selection are based on data from spatially replicated field experiments, we suggest that our findings on the prevalence of bias caused by environmental covariances are likely to be conservative.
Modelling the bivariate dependence structure of exchange rates before and after the introduction of the euro: a semi‐parametric approach

This paper investigates the bivariate dependence structure for three pairs of exchange rates measured against the US dollar: Euro and Japanese yen (JY), Euro and GBP, Euro and Swiss franc (CHF), in the pre-, post-Euro and the transition periods with the sample period ranging from January 1994 to November 2007. The Deutsche mark (DM) is used for the pre-Euro period. The novelty of the paper is that it employs non-parametric plots, which were derived based on the concept of copula, and a robust semi-parametric method to estimate copula models. The results indicate the changes in the dependence structure from the pre-Euro to the post-Euro period for the pairs DM (Euro)-JY, and DM (Euro)-GBP, with major changes occurring during the initial years of the launch of the Euro. For these two pairs of exchange rates, the model captures asymmetric tail dependence, implying different degrees of co-movements during appreciations and depreciations against the USD. The dependence between the Euro and the CHF remains unchanged, both in strength and structure, over the whole sample period, reflecting a marked tendency of the CHF to follow the fluctuations of the Euro against USD. There has been a tendency for the dependence between Euro and GBP to increase across the whole sample period. The results may be of interest for central banks, international trade, international portfolio diversification and currency risk management. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
US long-haul truck driver health demands integrated approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of both occupational safety and health (OSH) and worksite health promotion (WHP) efforts targeted at long-haul truck drivers (LHTDs) and to identify strengths and weaknesses to inform future interventions and/or policy changes. Design/methodology/approach Review of the literature was done to identify theoretical and methodological approaches frequently used for protecting and promoting the health and well-being of LHTDs. Findings Health and safety issues impacting LHTDs are complex and naturally interrelated. Historically, the majority of approaches to the health and safety of LHTDs have emphasized the safety side and there has been a lack of comprehensive and integrated WHP/OSH attempts. Originality/value The literature pertaining to LHTD health has expanded in recent years, but intervention and policy efforts have had limited success. Several scholars have discussed the need for integrating WHP/OSH efforts for LHTD health, but have not actually provided a description or a framework of what it entails in which the authors provide a conclusion to the review of the literature. The authors provide a critical discussion regarding a collaborative approach focused on National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s Total Worker Health model. The integration further promotes an advancement of theoretical and methodological strategies.
Evidence for a Pro-Proliferative Feedback Loop in Prostate Cancer: The Role of Epac1 and COX-2-Dependent Pathways

Objective In human prostate cancer cells, a selective Epac agonist, 8-CPT-2Me-cAMP, upregulates cell proliferation and survival via activation of Ras-MAPK and PI- 3-kinase-Akt-mTOR signaling cascades. Here we examine the role of inflammatory mediators in Epac1-induced cellular proliferation by determining the expression of the pro-inflammatory markers p-cPLA2, COX-2, and PGE2 in prostate cancer cells treated with 8-CPT-2Me-cAMP. Methods We employed inhibitors of COX-2, mTORC1, and mTORC2 to probe cyclic AMP-dependent pathways in human prostate cancer cells. RNAi targeting Epac1, Raptor, and Rictor was also employed in these studies. Results 8-CPT-2Me-cAMP treatment caused a 2–2.5-fold increase of p-cPLA2S505, COX-2, and PGE2 levels in human prostate cancer cell lines. Pretreatment of cells with the COX-2 inhibitor SC-58125 or the EP4 antagonist AH-23848, or with an inhibitor of mTORC1 and mTORC2, Torin1, significantly reduced the Epac1-dependent increase of p-cPLA2 and COX-2, p-S6-kinaseT389, and p-AKTS473. In addition, Epac1-induced protein and DNA synthesis were greatly reduced upon pretreatment of cells with either COX-2, EP4, or mTOR inhibitors. Transfection of prostate cancer cells with Epac1 dsRNA, Raptor dsRNA, or Rictor dsRNA profoundly reduced Epac1-dependent increases in p-cPLA2 and COX-2. Conclusion We show that Epac1, a downstream effector of cAMP, functions as a pro-inflammatory modulator in prostate cancer cells and promotes cell proliferation and survival by upregulating Ras-MAPK, and PI 3-kinase-Akt-mTOR signaling.
Time-Dependent Reversal of Long-Term Potentiation by an Integrin Antagonist

The integrin antagonist Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro (GRGDSP) was applied by local ejection to one of two recording sites in hippocampal slices at various times before and after long-term potentiation (LTP) was induced at both sites with theta burst stimulation. Applications 10 min before, immediately after, and 10 min after induction caused LTP at the experimental site to decay steadily relative to that at the within-slice control site. However, application at 25 min or more after induction had no detectable effect on potentiation. Similar results were obtained when the integrin antagonist was perfused into the slice rather than applied locally. The time period after induction during which GRGDSP interfered with LTP consolidation corresponds to that during which LTP is susceptible to reversal by low-frequency afferent stimulation and newly formed memories are vulnerable to various disruptive treatments. Comparable experiments using a peptide that blocks an extracellular binding site of neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAMs) did not yield time-dependent reversal of LTP; i.e., an antagonist that interacts with the fourth immunoglobulin-like domain reduced LTP when applied before induction but not afterward. Moreover, LTP formation occurred normally in the presence of an antibody against the fibronectin repeat domain of NCAM. These results suggest that integrin activation and signaling occurring over several minutes after LTP induction are necessary for stabilizing synaptic potentiation and by inference may be required for the conversion of new memories into a not readily disrupted state.
"Socratic Circles are a Luxury": Exploring the Conceptualization of a Dialogic Tool in Three Science Classrooms

Research has shown that dialogic instruction promotes learning in students. Secondary science has traditionally been taught from an authoritative stance, reinforced in recent years by testing policies requiring coverage. Socratic Circles are a framework for student-led dialogic discourse, which have been successfully used in English language arts and social studies classrooms. The purpose of this research was to explore the implementation process of Socratic Circles in secondary science classes where they have been perceived to be more difficult. Focusing on two physical science classes and one chemistry class, this study described the nature and characteristics of Socratic Circles, teachers’ dispositions toward dialogic instruction, the nature and characteristics of student discussion, and student motivation. Socratic Circles were found to be a dialogic support that influenced classroom climate, social skills, content connections, and student participation. Teachers felt a conflict between using traditional test driven scripted teaching, and exploring innovation through dialogic instruction. Students experienced opportunities for peer interaction, participation, and deeper discussions, in a framework designed to improve dialogic skills. Students in two of the classrooms showed evidence of motivation for engaging in peer-led discussion, and students in one class did not. The class that did not show evidence of motivation had not been given the same scaffolding as the other two classes. Two physical science teachers and one chemistry teacher found that Socratic Circles required more scaffolding than was indicated by their peers in other disciplines such as English and social studies. The teachers felt that student’s general lack of background knowledge for any given topic in physical science or chemistry necessitated the building of a knowledge platform before work on a discussion could begin. All three of the teachers indicated that Socratic Circles were a rewarding activity, beneficial to students, which they would use in the future.
Herschel-ATLAS: Statistical Properties of Galactic Cirrus in the GAMA-9 Hour Science Demonstration Phase Field

We study the spectral energy distribution (SED) and the power spectrum of Galactic cirrus emission observed in the 14 deg^2 Science Demonstration Phase field of the Herschel-ATLAS using Herschel and IRAS data from 100 to 500 μm. We compare the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) 250, 350 and 500 μm maps with IRAS 100-μm emission, binned in 6-arcmin pixels. We assume a modified blackbody SED with dust emissivity parameter β (F∝λ^(−β)) and a single dust temperature T_d, and find that the dust temperature and emissivity index varies over the science demonstration field as 10 < T_d < 25K and 1 < β < 4. The latter values are somewhat higher than the range of β often quoted in the literature (1 < β < 2). We estimate the mean values of these parameters to be T_d= 19.0 ± 2.4 K and β= 1.4 ± 0.4. In regions of bright cirrus emission, we find that the dust has similar temperatures with T_d = 18.0 ± 2.5 K, and similar values of β, ranging from 1.4 ± 0.5 to 1.9 ± 0.5. We show that T_d and β associated with diffuse cirrus emission are anti-correlated and can be described by the relationship: β(T_d) =NT^α_d with [N= 116 ± 38, α=−1.4 ± 0.1]. The strong correlation found in this analysis is not just limited to high-density clumps of cirrus emission as seen in previous studies, but is also seen in diffuse cirrus in low-density regions. To provide an independent measure of T_d and β, we obtain the angular power spectrum of the cirrus emission in the IRAS and SPIRE maps, which is consistent with a power spectrum of the form P(k) =P_0(k/k_0)^γ, where γ= 2.6 ± 0.2 for scales of 50–200 arcmin in the SPIRE maps. The cirrus rms fluctuation amplitude at angular scales of 100 arcmin is consistent with a modified blackbody SED with T_d 20.1 ± 0.9 K and β= 1.3 ± 0.2, in agreement with the values obtained above.
Why morphometrics is special: the problem with using partial warps as characters for phylogenetic inference.

There has been a dispute among morphometricians (Fink and Zelditch, 1995; Zelditch, Fink, and Swiderski, 1995; Adams and Rosenberg, 1998; Rohlf, 1998; Swiderski, Zelditch, and Fink, 1998; Zelditch, Fink, Swiderski, and Ludrigan, 1998) on the possibility of using morphometric data, ex? pressed as shape variables (particularly par? tial warps) extracted by geometric morpho? metrics methods, in phylogenetic analyses. Much has been said against and in favor of this particular combination of geometric morphometrics and cladistics, but the issue is not yet resolved. This is probably because the single point that makes the partial warps unsuitable as characters for cladistic analysis, was not thoroughly considered: the lack of biological significance in partial warps when treated as single univariate characters. To project a multidimensional space into a set of single dimensions by different rotations for parsimony analysis, the single dimensions must have biological significance by them? selves (what cannot be expected from partial warps, Rohlf, 1998). This problem is derived from the shape nonmonotonicity theorem, originally published by Bookstein (1980), that asserts: "for any three triangles of land? marks, no two of which have exactly the same shape, and for any ordering of three triangles, there exist indefinitely many shape measures consistent with that ordering" (Bookstein, 1994, p. 206). In other words, the ordination patterns in shape space are not consistent for all possible shape variables, although the dis? tances among shapes are always preserved. Our perception of the world is deeply de? pendent on the dimensions we can observe. Natural phenomena are usually expressed in a multivariate fashion, even though most of us are limited to visualizing things in a max? imum of three dimensions. To understand