Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of School Civility: A Survey of School of Education Alumni

PERCEPTIONS OF SCHOOL CIVILITY: A SURVEY OF SCHOOL OF EDUCATION ALUMNI Keely Marie Swanson Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education Educational Specialist Very little empirical data exists on the topic of civility in schools, although much theory and philosophy are proffered in the literature. Literature on moral education and character education also informs the study of civility. Many of the philosophical theories mention education as a way of increasing civility in society. Some schools have attempted to implement various civility interventions and research supports the use of similar interventions to teach social skills; however, none have systematically collected data for these interventions to evaluate their effectiveness for teaching civility. The present research systematically gathered data on perceptions of civility and incivility in schools by surveying the alumni of a school of education using a webbased questionnaire. Results revealed that participants perceived that students’ civil behaviors occurred more frequently than uncivil behaviors. However, participants also indicated a need to increase civility and decrease incivility in schools. They gave suggestions to accomplish this goal including direct instruction, school professionals modeling civil behavior, incorporating the ideology of positive behavior support, and setting rules and expectations.
The Forces of Imperialism: Internalist and Global Explanations of the Anglo-European Empires, 1750–1960

ABSTRACT The authors explain the imperial expansion of the Anglo-European states from the 18th century to the 20th century using an original pooled time series database on rates of colonization by the Western powers. They employ a negative binomial regression that tests different theories, from classical internalist theories that emphasize domestic or national-level factors, to more global theories that explain formal imperialism by reference to the wider international context in which states operate. Testing these different theories, the authors find that states are most likely to engage in formal imperialism when (a) the world-system is at its most economically competitive, (b) when those societies are more militarized, and (c) when they have more power capabilities relative to other states.
Trading Systems and Methods

Basic Concepts. Regression Analysis. Trend Calculations. Trend Systems. Momentum and Oscillators. Seasonality. Cycle Analysis. Charting. Volume, Open Interest, and Breadth. Point--and--Figure Charting. Charting Systems. Spreads and Arbitrage. Behavioral Techniques. Pattern Recognition. Day Trading. Adaptive Techniques. Price Distribution Systems. Multiple Time Frames. Advanced Techniques. Testing. Practical Considerations. Risk Control. Appendices. Bibliography. Index.
Hough Transform and Active Contour for Enhanced Iris Segmentation

Iris segmentation is considered as the most difficult and fundamental step in an iris recognition system. While iris boundaries are largely approximated by two circles or ellipses, other methods define more accurately the iris resulting in better recognition results. In this paper we propose an iris segmentation method using Hough transform and active contour to detect a circular approximation of the outer iris boundary and to accurately segment the inner boundary in its real shape motivated by the fact that richer iris textures are closer to the pupil than to the sclera. Normalization, encoding and matching are implemented according to Daugman‟s method. The method, tested on CASIA-V3 iris images database is compared to Daugman‟s iris recognition system. Recognition performance is measured in terms of decidability, accuracy at the equal error rate and ROC curves. Improved recognition performance is obtained using our segmentation model proposing its use for better iris
Improving PCM Endurance with a Constant-Cost Wear Leveling Design

Improving PCM endurance is a fundamental issue when it is considered as an alternative to replace DRAM as main memory. Memory-based wear leveling (WL) is an effective way to improve PCM endurance, but its major challenge is how to efficiently determine the appropriate memory pages for allocation or swapping. In this article, we present a constant-cost WL design that is compatible with existing memory management. Two implementations, namely bucket-based and array-based WL, with constant-time (or nearly zero) search cost are proposed to be integrated into the OS layer and the hardware layer, respectively, as well as to trade between time and space complexity. The results of experiments conducted based on an implementation in Android, as well as simulations with popular benchmarks, to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed design are very encouraging.
GRIP: QoS Support over a Stateless IP Domain by Means of Localized Measurements and Decisions

This document consists of two papers. In the first one, we propose an admission control paradigm, called GRIP (Gauge&Gate Reservation with Independent Probing), devised to transparently operate over a stateless IP domain. GRIP relies the decision to admit a new flow upon the successful and timely delivery, through the domain, of probe packets independently generated by the end-points. Failed receptions of probe packets are interpreted as congestion in the network. Our solution is fully distributed and scalable, as admission control decisions are taken at the edge nodes, and no coordination between routers, which are stateless and remain oblivious to individual flows, is required. The performance of GRIP is related to the capability of routers to locally take decisions about the degree of congestion, and suitably block probe packets when congestion conditions are detected. A fundamental feature of the GRIP operation is its backward compatibility (at the expense of experienced performance) with existing routers. This solution has been devised to operate within a specific domain, developed in a R&D project sponsored by the European Union (project SUITED). Thus, in the second part of the document, we describe such domain, where high performance can be obtained, owing to suitable assumptions on the supported traffic. However, nothing impedes to adopt at least the general principles of GRIP in other IP domains or even in the whole Internet.
The International Journal of Biostatistics Comparing Distribution Functions via Empirical Likelihood

This paper develops empirical likelihood based simultaneous confidence bands for differences and ratios of two distribution functions from independent samples of right-censored survival data. The proposed confidence bands provide a flexible way of comparing treatments in biomedical settings, and bring empirical likelihood methods to bear on important target functions for which only Wald-type confidence bands have been available in the literature. The approach is illustrated with a real data example.
The rebound effect: an assessment of the evidence for economy-wide energy savings from improved energy efficiency

The UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) has launched a major new report on how 'Rebound Effects' can result in energy savings falling short of expectations, thereby threatening the success of UK climate policy. An example of a rebound effect would be the driver who replaces a car with a fuel-efficient model, only to take advantage of its cheaper running costs to drive further and more often. Or a family that insulates their loft and puts the money saved on their heating bill towards an overseas holiday.
Reexamination Of Dynamic Betainternational Capm: A Sur With Garch Approach

Considering the heteroscedasticity and cross-correlation in the error terms of international stock market returns, International Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is reinvestigated under Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) and SUR with GARCH (SURGARCH) framework.We modified Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) estimator to take into account multivariate GARCH error structure in estimating the model. World market portfolio was constructed to ensure that the market portfolio is mean-variance efficient under no restriction on short selling and borrowing at riskless rate. CAPM fits well only on ex-post SUR test, but it is rejected on SUR-GARCH for both ex-ante and ex-post test. However, this paper found that CAPM could be applied for most stock market indexes when each equation in SUR system was analyzed individually.
A Novel Diagnostic Aid for Detection of Intra-Abdominal Adhesions to the Anterior Abdominal Wall Using Dynamic Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Introduction. Abdominal adhesions can cause serious morbidity and complicate subsequent operations. Their diagnosis is often one of exclusion due to a lack of a reliable, non-invasive diagnostic technique. Development and testing of a candidate technique are described below. Method. During respiration, smooth visceral sliding motion occurs between the abdominal contents and the walls of the abdominal cavity. We describe a technique involving image segmentation and registration to calculate shear as an analogue for visceral slide based on the tracking of structures throughout the respiratory cycle. The presence of an adhesion is attributed to a resistance to visceral slide resulting in a discernible reduction in shear. The abdominal movement due to respiration is captured in sagittal dynamic MR images. Results. Clinical images were selected for analysis, including a patient with a surgically confirmed adhesion. Discernible reduction in shear was observed at the location of the adhesion while a consistent, gradually changing shear was observed in the healthy volunteers. Conclusion. The technique and its validation show encouraging results for adhesion detection but a larger study is now required to confirm its potential.
Study on Influence of Column Size and Slab Slenderness on Punching Strength

This paper presents the results of a systematic experimental campaign consisting of 13 symmetric punching tests on interior slab-column connections. The study focuses on the influence of varying the size of the supported area and the slenderness of the slab. Other investigated parameters are the flexural reinforcement ratio and the presence of shear reinforcement. The results of the present campaign and of previous tests are compared to the predictions of different codes of practice and to the critical shear crack theory (CSCT). The comparison shows that the CSCT and fib Model Code 2010 give the most consistent predictions, whereas the results of Eurocode 2 for small support sizes have a large scatter. The predictions of ACI 318 are observed as overall conservative in the investigated range. This study shows that slenderness has an important influence on the punching strength of slabs with shear reinforcement, despite the fact that it is neglected in many codes of practice.
Ruminant Eructation and a Long-Run Environmental Kuznets' Curve for Enteric Methane in New Zealand: Conventional and Fuzzy Regression Analysis

This paper examines the very long-run relationship between income and emissions of enteric methane in New Zealand, over the period 1895 to 1996. Controlling the emissions of this particular greenhouse gas is of crucial importance if that country is to meet its obligations as a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol. We use standard parametric regression, nonparametric regression, and a new nonlinear regression estimator based on fuzzy clustering analysis, to estimate 'environmental Kuznets' curves' for methane in New Zealand. Our results appear to be the first to support the existence of some form of 'inverted-U' curve for this pollutant, and the 'double-hump' relationship that emerges from our fuzzy modeling is consistent with certain theoretical results. Methane pollution is maximized at a level of real per capita GDP that is consistent with those reported for other pollutants in the literature.
A Rao-Blackwellized Markov Chain Monte Carlo Algorithm for Efficient MIMO Detection

We derive a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for data detection in multi-antenna systems. The proposed algorithm is based on the Rao-Blackwellization principle, and is parameterized by a value eta that can be interpreted as a system temperature. We demonstrate by simulations that systems with increased temperature (eta>1) significantly outperform the straightforward choice of eta=1. Due to its log-domain formulation, our algorithm combines near-optimal performance with low implementation complexity.
Isolation and characterization of Tula virus , a distinct serotype in the genus Hontovirus , family Bunyoviridoe

A Vero E6 cell culture isolate of Tula virus (TUL), a hantavirus first detected in European common voles (hficrotus arvalis and hr. rossiaemeridionolis) by RT-PCR was obtained after initial passaging of TUL-infected vole lung samples in laboratory-colonized hl. arvalis. TUL was defined as a classical serotype by a cross-focus-reduction neutralization test (FRNT) and was also shown to be distinct from other hantaviruses by haemagglutination inhibition assay. The sequences of S, M and partial L genome segments of the isolate were determined: the S segment was 99.9% identical to the original rodent-derived sequence. Serological evidence for a previous TUL infection was obtained from the serum of a blood donor living near a TUL focus in Moravia, Czech Republic, showing at least a 16-fold higher FRNT titre to TUL as compared to Puumala or other hantaviruses. Hantaviruses, members of the family Bunyaviridae, are enveloped negative-stranded RNA viruses with a tripartite genome. Each hantavirus is carried primarily by a specific rodent or insectivore host which may transmit the virus to humans. Hantaan (HTN) (Lee & Lee, I978), Puumala (PUU) (Brummer-Korvenkontio et al., 1980), Seoul (SEO) and Dobrava (DOB) viruses, carried by field mice, (Apodemus agrarius), bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus), rats (Rattus rattus and R. norvegicus) and yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), respectively, cause the different forms of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. In the Americas, Sin Nombre virus (SN) The reported TUL isolate sequences are available (EMBL, GenBank and DDBJ) under accession numbers Z69991, Z69993 and Z69992. (Nichol et al., 1993) carried by deer mice (Perornyscus mani-culatus), as well as some related viruses carried by Sigmodontinae rodents, cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome with 50% mortality (Khan et al., 1996). Other hantaviruses, such as TUL and Prospect Hill (PH) (Lee et al., 1982) carried by Microtus rodents, have not been associated with human disease. Several hantaviruses have been isolated in cell culture and, at present, ten have been established as distinct serotypes: isolates have been characterized mainly genetically by RT-PCR on rodent or patient samples (for reviews see The three RNA segments of hantaviruses code in the viral complementary sense for the four structural proteins (sizes given for PUU): the 6"5 kb L segment codes for the approximately 200 kDa polymerase protein, the 3"7 kb M segment codes for the two envelope glycoproteins, G1 (68 kDa) and G2 (54 kDa), and the 1"8 kb S segment encodes the 50 kDa nucleocapsid protein (N) (Antic et al. …
Tolling, Capacity Selection and Equilibrium Problems with Equilibrium Constraints

An Equilibrium problem with an equilibrium constraint is a mathematical construct that can be applied to private competition in highway networks. In this paper we consider the problem of finding a Nash Equilibrium regarding competition in toll pricing on a network utilising 2 alternative algorithms. In the first algorithm, we utilise a Gauss Siedel fixed point approach based on the cutting constraint algorithm for toll pricing. In the second algorithm, we extend an existing sequential linear complementarity approach for finding Nash equilibrium subject to Wardrop Equilibrium constraints. Finally we consider how the equilibrium may change between the Nash competitive equilibrium and a collusive equilibrium where the two players co-operate to form the equivalent of a monopoly operation.
Analysis and validation of GPS/MET data in the neutral atmosphere

The Global Positioning System/Meteorology ( GPS/MET) Program was established in 1993 by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research ( UCAR) to demonstrate active limb sounding of the Earth's atmosphere using the radio occultation technique. The demonstration system observes occulted GPS satellite signals received by a low Earth orbiting ( LEO) satellite, MicroLab-1, launched April 3,1995. The system can profile ionospheric electron density and neutral atmospheric properties. Neutral atmospheric refractivity, density, pressure, and temperature are derived at altitudes where the amount of water vapor is low. At lower altitudes, vertical profiles of density, pressure, and water vapor pressure can be derived from the GPS/MET refractivity profiles if temperature data from an independent source are available. This paper describes the GPS/MET data analysis procedures and validates GPS/MET data with statistics and illustrative case studies. We compare more than 1200 GPS/MET neutral atmosphere soundings to correlative data from operational global weather analyses, radiosondes, and the GOES, TOVS, UARS/MLS and HALOE orbiting atmospheric sensors. Even though many GPS/MET soundings currently fail to penetrate the lowest 5 km of the troposphere in the presence of significant water vapor, our results demonstrate 1°C mean temperature agreement with the best correlative data sets between 1 and 40 km. This and the fact that GPS/MET observations are all-weather and self-calibrating suggests that radio occultation technology has the potential to make a strong contribution to a global observing system supporting weather prediction and weather and climate research.
Interferon-α-Conditioned Human Monocytes Combine a Th1-Orienting Attitude with the Induction of Autologous Th17 Responses: Role of IL-23 and IL-12

IFN-α exerts multiple effects leading to immune protection against pathogens and cancer as well to autoimmune reactions by acting on monocytes and dendritic cells. We analyzed the versatility of human monocytes conditioned by IFN-α towards dendritic cell differentiation (IFN-DC) in shaping the autologous T-helper response. Priming of naïve CD4 T cells with autologous IFN-DC in the presence of either SEA or anti-CD3, resulted, in addition to a prominent expansion of CXCR3+ IFN-γ-producing CD4 Th1 cells, in the emergence of two distinct subsets of IL-17-producing CD4 T cells: i) a predominant Th17 population selectively producing IL-17 and expressing CCR6; ii) a minor Th1/Th17 population, producing both IL-17 and IFN-γ. After phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, IFN-DC induced Th17 cell expansion and IL-17 release. Notably, the use of neutralizing antibodies revealed that IL-23 was an essential cytokine in mediating Th17 cell development by IFN-DC. The demonstration of the IFN-DC-induced expansion of both Th1 and Th17 cell populations reveals the intrinsic plasticity of these DC in orienting the immune response and provides a mechanistic link between IFN-α and the onset of autoimmune phenomena, which have been correlated with both IL-17 production and exposure to IFN-α.
Imperative Objects and Mobile

An interpretation of Abadi and Cardelli's rst-order Imperative Object Calculus into a typed-calculus is presented. The interpretation validates the subtyping relation and the typing judgements of the Object Calculus, and is computationally adequate. The proof of computational adequacy makes use of (a-calculus version) of ready simulation, and of a factorisation of the interpretation into a functional part and a very simple imperative part. The interpretation can be used to compare and contrast the Imperative and the Functional Object Calculi, and to prove properties about them, within a uniied framework.
Random variation and rankability of hospitals using outcome indicators

Objective There is a growing focus on quality and safety in healthcare. Outcome indicators are increasingly used to compare hospital performance and to rank hospitals, but the reliability of ranking (rankability) is under debate. This study aims to quantify the rankability of several outcome indicators of hospital performance currently used by the Dutch government. Methods From 52 indicators used by the Netherlands Inspectorate, the authors selected nine outcome indicators presenting a fraction and absolute numbers. Of these indicators, four were combined into two, resulting in seven indicators for analysis. The official data of 97 Dutch hospitals for the year 2007 were used. Uncertainty in the observed outcomes within the hospitals (within hospital variance, σ2) was estimated using fixed effect logistic regression models. Heterogeneity (between hospital variance, τ2) was measured with random effect logistic regression models. Subsequently, the rankability was calculated by relating heterogeneity to uncertainty within and between hospitals (τ2/(τ2 +median σ2)). Results Sample sizes varied but were typically around 200 per hospital (range of median 90–277) with a median of 2–21 cases, causing a substantial uncertainty in outcomes per hospital. Although fourfold to eightfold differences between hospitals were noted, the uncertainty within hospitals caused a poor (<50%) rankability in three indicators and moderate rankability (50–75%) in the other four indicators. Conclusion The currently used Dutch outcome indicators are not suitable for ranking hospitals. When judging hospital quality the influence of random variation must be accounted for to avoid overinterpretation of the numbers in the quest for more transparency in healthcare. Adequate sample size is a prerequisite in attempting reliable ranking.
Supermassive Black Hole Accretion History Inferred from a Large Sample of Chandra Hard X-Ray Sources

We describe the optical, near-infrared, and radio properties of a hard (2–7 keV) X-ray–selected sample detected in a deep Chandra observation of the field surrounding the Abell 370 cluster. We combine these data with similar observations of the Chandra Deep Field North and the Hawaii Survey Field SSA 13 to obtain a hard X-ray–selected sample of 69 sources with extremely deep 20 cm and optical imaging data. We have spectroscopic redshifts for 45 of the 69 sources. We find that about 4% of the greater than L* galaxy population is X-ray luminous at any time and hence that black hole accretion has a duration of about half a gigayear. We find that about 30% of the summed 2–7 keV flux from the total sample is from sources at z ≲ 1. We estimate upper bounds on the bolometric luminosities of accretion onto the supermassive black holes, from which we determine maximal mass inflow rates that increase from ∼0.01 M⊙ yr-1 at z ≲ 0.5 up to ∼10 M⊙ yr-1 at z ≳ 1, assuming a canonical radiative efficiency ϵ ∼ 0.1. The time history of the accretion rate density is evaluated; its maximal integrated value is ρBH = 6 × 10-35 g cm-2, which is reasonably consistent with the value inferred from the local black hole mass–to–bulge mass ratio.