Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Family Perspectives on Home-School Connections and Family Engagement: A Case Study of Four Middle Class Latin American Families

CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE FAMILY PERSPECTIVES ON HOME-SCHOOL CONNECTIONS AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF FOUR MIDDLE CLASS LATIN AMERICAN FAMILIES by Janet Elizabeth Pierce Clark The purpose of this case study was to explore the context, perceptions, and understandings of school-home connections and family engagement of four middle class Latin American families who have children in U.S. public schools. Because family engagement with schools correlates with student success, the participants’ perspectives were examined in depth. The study was guided by two major research questions and associated sub questions: 1. How do four middle class families from Latin America perceive that their child’s school makes efforts to connect with them? a. What factors contribute to the development of connectedness between home and school for four middle class families from Latin America? b. What factors contribute to the development of family engagement for four middle class families from Latin America? 2. What tensions are inherent in the interactions between schools and four middle class families from Latin America? a. What tensions impede the development of connectedness between home and school for four middle class families from Latin America?
Malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax: recurrent, difficult to treat, disabling, and threatening to life — averting the infectious bite preempts these hazards

Abstract The maxim ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ finds few better demonstrations than with malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax. Thoroughly neglected over the past 60 years, the chemotherapy of this complex infection has been dangerous and ineffective until the present. Work is at last being done, but seeing that translate to real improvements at the periphery of care delivery will take years of deliberate effort. In the meantime, patients face substantial risk of debilitating, threatening, and fatal courses of illness associated with a diagnosis of vivax malaria. For some of the most vulnerable to such outcomes — pregnant women and infants — repeated attacks of acute vivax malaria from a single infectious anopheline bite is now not preventable. One of the few measures than can be immediately applied with rigor is vector control, thereby effectively preventing as many of these difficult and dangerous infections as possible. This commentary emphasizes the dire consequences of infection by P. vivax and the real difficulty of dealing with them. That, in turn, emphasizes the many benefits to be derived by preventing them in the first place.
The Effect of Multiple Extrusions on the Properties of Montmorillonite Filled Polypropylene

Nanocomposites have attracted a great deal of interest during recent years. Much research has been conducted towards the incorporation of clay particles in a polypropylene matrix. However, the effect of extrusion reprocessing on the material properties has not been studied in depth. In this study, composites of polypropylene (PP) reinforced with organic modified montmorillonite (MMT) (4 wt%) and coupling agent were subjected to 15 extrusion cycles. The materials were characterized by melt flow index (MFI), plate-plate rheometry, tensile testing and impact measurements, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed an improved intercalation of the MMT clay in the first few extrusions, thus improving the mechanical properties. Increasing the processing steps furthermore lead to a decrease in elastic modulus and impact strength, which was attributed to a reduction in matrix-filler interaction, most probably caused by organoclay degradation as shown by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results of this study provide a useful insight in either the recycling of PP/MMT waste streams or the use of clay particles as a strengthening filler agent in the recycling process of different polymer waste streams.
Structured Depth Prediction in Challenging Monocular Video Sequences

In this paper, we tackle the problem of estimating the depth of a scene from a monocular video sequence. In particular, we handle challenging scenarios, such as non-translational camera motion and dynamic scenes, where traditional structure from motion and motion stereo methods do not apply. To this end, we first study the problem of depth estimation from a single image. In this context, we exploit the availability of a pool of images for which the depth is known, and formulate monocular depth estimation as a discrete-continuous optimization problem, where the continuous variables encode the depth of the superpixels in the input image, and the discrete ones represent relationships between neighboring superpixels. The solution to this discrete-continuous optimization problem is obtained by performing inference in a graphical model using particle belief propagation. To handle video sequences, we then extend our single image model to a two-frame one that naturally encodes short-range temporal consistency and inherently handles dynamic objects. Based on the prediction of this model, we then introduce a fully-connected pairwise CRF that accounts for longer range spatio-temporal interactions throughout a video. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our model in both the indoor and outdoor scenarios.
The Macroeconomic Variables And Stock Returns In Pakistan: The Case Of Kse100 Index

The stock market is a barometer of a country's economy. The stock market of Pakistan was initiated in the year 1947 at Karachi and KSE100 index was introduced in 1991. The intent of this study was to explore long run, and short run dynamics relationships between KSE100 index and five macroeconomic variables. In order to investigate the long run and short run relationships. Johansen cointegation technique and VECM was applied. The study used monthly data for analyzing KSE100 index. The results revealed that in the long run, there was a positive impact of inflation, GDP growth, and exchange rate on KSE100 index, while money supply and three months treasury bills rate had negative impact on the stock returns. The VECM demonstrated that it takes more than four months for the adjustment of disequilibrium of the previous period. The results of variance decompositions exposed that among the macroeconomic variables inflation explained more variance of forecast error.
Towards a comprehensive taxonomy of dehumanization: Integrating two senses of humanness, mind perception theory, and stereotype content model

We review and integrate existing literature on perceptions of humanness and dehumanization. Synthesizing three independent lines of research (Haslam’s two senses of humanness, mind perception theory, the stereotype content model), we provide a taxonomy of different phenomena (e.g., animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization, objectification, demonization, etc.) that all fall under the broad category of dehumanization. In our current framework, humanness is understood in terms of two basic dimensions: one concerned with agency, competence, and other characteristics that are seen as uniquely human, and the other concerned with experience, interpersonal warmth, and other characteristics that are seen as the essence of human nature. Combinations of these two dimensions result in a mixed model with four main clusters depicting different ways in which humanness is denied or recognized in others. Implications for intergroup and interpersonal relations are also discussed.
Two Subclasses of Proto-Planetary Nebulae: Model Calculations

We use detailed radiative transfer models to investigate the differences between the star-obvious low-level elongated proto-planetary nebulae (SOLE PPNs) and dust-prominent longitudinally extended proto-planetary nebulae (DUPLEX PPNs), which are two subclasses of PPNs suggested by Ueta, Meixner, & Bobrowsky. We select one SOLE PPN, HD 161796, and one DUPLEX PPN, IRAS 17150-3224, both of which are well studied and representative of their PPN classes. Using an axisymmetric dust shell radiative transfer code, we model these two sources in detail and constrain their mass-loss histories, inclination angles, and dust composition. The physical parameters derived for HD 161796 and IRAS 17150-3224 demonstrate that they are physically quite different and that their observed differences cannot be attributed to inclination-angle effects. Both HD 161796 and IRAS 17150-3224 are viewed nearly edge-on. However, the more intensive axisymmetric superwind mass loss experienced by IRAS 17150-3224 (8.5 × 10-3 M☉ yr-1 and an Ṁequator/Ṁpole = 160) has created a high optical depth dust torus (AV = 37) that obscures its central star. In contrast, HD 161796, which underwent a lower rate superwind (Ṁ = 1.2 × 10-4 M☉ yr-1 and an Ṁequator/Ṁpole = 9), has an optically thinner dust shell that allows the penetration of direct starlight. Based on our analysis of the dust composition, which is constrained by dust optical constants derived from laboratory measurements, both objects contain oxygen-rich dust, mainly amorphous silicates, but with some significant differences. IRAS 17150-3224 contains only amorphous silicates with sizes ranging from 0.001 to larger than ~200 μm. HD 161796 contains amorphous silicates, crystalline silicates (enstatite and forsterite), and crystalline water ice with sizes ranging from 0.2 to larger than ~10 μm. If these calculations reflect a more general truth about SOLE versus DUPLEX PPNs, then these two subclasses of PPNs are physically distinct, with the SOLE PPNs derived from low-mass progenitors and DUPLEX PPNs derived from high-mass progenitors.
ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF METACOGNITIVE SCAFFOLDING ON ACADEMIC ANXIETY OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ZARIA METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA, NIGERIA IN PARTIAL FULFULLMENT OF THE REQUIREMMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER DEGREE IN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELLING FACULTY OF EDUCATION AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
Serum Bisphenol A Level in Boys with Cryptorchidism: A Step to Male Infertility?

Cryptorchidism is the most common congenital birth defect in boys and affects about 2–4% full-term male neonates. Its etiology is multifactorial. Purpose. To evaluate the serum bisphenol A (BPA) levels in boys with cryptorchidism and healthy boys and to assess the risk of environmental exposure to BPA using the authors' questionnaire. The data were acquired from a study on boys with cryptorchidism (n = 98) and a control group (n = 57). Prior to surgery, all patients had BPA serum levels evaluated. The size, position, rigidity of the testis, and abnormality of the epididymis of the undescended testis were assessed. Parents also completed a questionnaire on the risks of exposure to BPA in everyday life. Results. The testes in both groups were similar in size. The turgor of the undescended testis in the group of boys with cryptorchidism was decreased. Free serum BPA level in cryptorchid boys and in the control group was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The conjugated serum BPA level in cryptorchid boys and in the control group was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). Total serum BPA level in cryptorchid boys and in the control group was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Serum total BPA level was related with a positive answer about problems with conception (p < 0.02). Conclusion. Our study indicated that high serum BPA was associated with cryptorchidism.
Robust consensus of discrete-time linear agents over deterministic uncertain channels

In this paper, we study the robust consensus problem for a group of linear discrete-time agents to coordinate over an uncertain communication network, which is to achieve consensus against transmission errors and noises. We model the network by communication links subject to deterministic uncertainties, which can be either an additive perturbation described by some unknown transfer function or a norm bounded uncertainty. We show that the robust consensus problem with undirected communication topologies is equivalent to the simultaneous H∞ control problem for a set of low-dimensional subsystems. We derive a necessary condition for the existence of a protocol achieving robust consensus. That is, the upper bound of the uncertainties is less than the inverse of the Mahler measure of the agents. Sufficient conditions in terms of linear matrix inequalities are further presented to design the robust consensus protocols.
The Consumer Price Index as a Measure of Inflation and Target of Monetary Policy

Recent low and stable inflation rates are, according to most observers, the result of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy, and most observers do not seem to question that the Fed's sole responsibility is to fight inflation. However, as Executive Director Dimitri B. Papadimitriou and Research Associate L. Randall Wray, have shown, the Fed has not been successful in selecting a monetary policy target that is closely correlated with inflation. In response to this flaw, some theorists and policymakers have advocated the use of an aggregate price index as both the target and the goal of monetary policy. In this paper, and Wray evaluate the most frequently suggested of these indexes-the consumer price index (CPI)-for its appropriateness as a monetary policy target. They determine first which of the CPI's components have tended to raise it and then how a change in monetary policy would affect these components. They conclude that there are serious empirical questions about the transmission mechanisms through which monetary policy is supposed to affect the CPI. Therefore, even if it represented a perfect measure of the cost of living, they would still disagree with its use as a measure for monetary policy.
Nonlinear rheology of polymer melts: a new perspective on finite chain extensibility effects

Measurements by Luap et al. (2005) of elongational viscosity and birefringence of two nearly monodisperse polystyrene melts with molar masses of (PS206k) and (PS465k) respectively are reconsidered. At higher elongational stresses, the samples showed clearly deviations from the stress optical rule (SOR). The elongational viscosity data of both melts can be modeled quantitatively by the MSF model of Wagner et al. (2005), which is based on the assumption of a strain-dependent tube diameter and the interchain pressure term of Marrucci and Ianniruberto (2004). The only nonlinear parameter of the model, the tube diameter relaxation time, scales with . In order to get agreement with the birefringence data, finite chain extensibility effects are taken into account by use of the approximation of the inverse Langevin function, and the interchain pressure term is modified accordingly. Due to a selfregulating limitation of chain stretch by the FENE interchain pressure term, the transient elongational viscosity shows a small dependence on finite extensibility only, while the predicted steady-state elongational viscosity is not affected by non-Gaussian effects in agreement with experimental evidence. However, deviations from the SOR are described quantitatively by the MSF model by taking into account finite chain extensibility, and within the experimental window investigated, deviations from the SOR are predicted to be strain rate, temperature, and molar mass independent for the two nearly monodisperse polystyrene melts in good agreement with experimental data.
Experimental alveolitis in rats: microbiological, acute phase response and histometric characterization of delayed alveolar healing

The pathogenesis of alveolitis is not well known and therefore experimental situations that mimic some features of this disease should be developed. Objective In this study, the evolution of the experimentally induced infection in rat sockets is characterized, which leads to clinical signs of suppurative alveolitis with remarkable wound healing disturbs. Material and methods Non-infected (Group I) and experimentally infected sockets in Rattus novergicus (Group II) were histometrically evaluated regarding the kinetics of alveolar healing. In addition, the characterization of the present bacteria in inoculation material and the serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were performed. The detected species were Capnocytophaga ochracea, Fusobacterium nucleatum ss nucleatum, Prevotella melaninogenica, Streptococcus anginosus, Treponema socranskii and Streptococcus sanguis. Results All experimentally infected rats developed suppurative alveolitis, showing higher levels of CRP in comparison to those non-infected ones. Furthermore, infected rats presented a significant delayed wound healing as measured by the histometric analysis (higher persistent polymorphonuclear infiltrate and lower density of newly formed bone). Conclusion These findings indicate that rat sockets with experimentally induced infection produced higher levels of serum CRP, showing the potential of disseminated infection and a disturb in the alveolar repair process in an interesting experimental model for alveolitis studies.
Knowledge of diversity of wild palms (arecaceae) in the Republic of Benin: finding gaps in the national inventory by combining field and digital accessible knowledge

—Despite efforts by researchers worldwide to assess the biodiversity of plant groups, many locations on Earth remain poorly surveyed, resulting in inadequate or biased knowledge. Robust estimates of inventory completeness could help alleviate the problem. This study aimed to identify areas representing gaps in current knowledge of African palms, with a focus on Benin (West Africa). We assessed the completeness of knowledge of African palms, targeting geographic distance and climatic difference from well-known sites. Data derived from intensive fieldwork were combined with independent data available online. Inventory completeness indices were calculated and coupled with other criteria. Results showed a high overall value for inventory completeness, as well as an even distribution of well-known areas across the country. However, poorly-known areas were identified, which were in remote locations with low accessibility. This study illustrates how biodiversity survey and inventory efforts can be guided by existing knowledge. We strongly recommend the combination of digital accessible knowledge and fieldwork, coupled with expert knowledge, to obtain a better picture of inventory completeness in tropical ecosystems.
A 10-bit 10Ms/s pipeline cyclic ADC based on β-expansion

This paper presents a 10-bit, 10Ms/s pipeline cyclic analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in 90nm CMOS technology. The proposed ADC is designed and fabricated in 3-stage pipeline structure, and each pipeline stage is a non-binary cyclic ADC based on β-expansion. The output bit-number of stages is selected as 4-4-8 bits according to the considerations of chip area, conversion speed and total power consumption. We also optimized the capacitor value and amplifier parameter of the MDAC at each stage to satisfy the required performance of ADC. The radix value of non-binary output code can be estimated with our proposed algorithm, and the 16-bit output non-binary-codes are converted to 10-bit binary-codes by off-chip processing. The redundancy of non-binary ADC tolerates the non-linearity errors of conversion so that required accuracy of analog components is dramatically relaxed. The prototype ADC achieves a measured SNDR of 61.07dB at 10Ms/s even with an amplifier with poor DC gain as low as 45dB. The measured DNL is +0.32/-0.61LSB and INL is +0.79/-0.67LSB at 311.3kHz input. The total power consumption of ADC is 4.7mW at 1.2V supply and it occupies an active area of 0.068mm2.
Cluster mass profiles from weak lensing: The influence of substructure

The tidal gravitational eld of a cluster distorts the shapes of background galaxies. This signature can be used to place constraints on the mass prole of the cluster, using a maximum likelihood analysis to nd the best-t parameterised model. In Schneider et al. (2000) and King & Schneider (2001) we investigated how accurately parameters can be obtained, concentrating on smooth proles. Here, we consider a realistic model for substructure in a cluster (from N-body simulations), in order to see what influence this has on the recovery of parameters. We nd that for a typical cluster at zd =0 :2, the presence of substructure increases the error on parameters recovered from weak lensing data by3%. Even doubling the substructure amplitude induces only a 10% increase in the parameter dispersion: this bodes well for our method.
Television-viewing Habits and Sleep Disturbance in School Children

Objective. To investigate the relationship between specific television-viewing habits and both sleep habits and sleep disturbances in school children. Methods. The parents of 495 children in grades kindergarten through fourth grade in three public elementary schools completed two retrospective survey questionnaires, one assessing their children's sleep behaviors and the other examining television-viewing habits of both the child and the family. Sleep domains assessed included bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, sleep duration, anxiety around sleep, parasomnias, night wakings, and daytime sleepiness. Teachers from all three schools also completed daytime sleepiness questionnaires (N = 402) for the sample. Results. Most of the television-viewing practices examined in this study were associated with at least one type of sleep disturbance. Despite overall close monitoring of television-viewing habits, one quarter of the parents reported the presence of a television set in the child's bedroom. The television-viewing habits associated most significantly with sleep disturbance were increased daily television viewing amounts and increased television viewing at bedtime, especially in the context of having a television set in the child's bedroom. The sleep domains that appeared to be affected most consistently by television were bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, and anxiety around sleep, followed by shortened sleep duration. The parent's threshold for defining “problem sleep behavior” in their child was also important in determining the significance of the association between sleep disturbance and television-viewing habits. Conclusion. Health care practitioners should be aware of the potential negative impact of television viewing at bedtime. Parents should be questioned about their children's television-viewing habits as part of general screening for sleep disturbances and as part of anticipatory guidance in regards to healthy sleep habits in children. In particular, the presence of a television set in the child's bedroom may be a relatively underrecognized, but important, contributor to sleep problems in school children.
Assumed Density Filtering Methods for Learning Bayesian Neural Networks

Buoyed by the success of deep multilayer neural networks, there is renewed interest in scalable learning of Bayesian neural networks. Here, we study algorithms that utilize recent advances in Bayesian inference to efficiently learn distributions over network weights. In particular, we focus on recently proposed assumed density filtering based methods for learning Bayesian neural networks -- Expectation and Probabilistic backpropagation. Apart from scaling to large datasets, these techniques seamlessly deal with non-differentiable activation functions and provide parameter (learning rate, momentum) free learning. In this paper, we first rigorously compare the two algorithms and in the process develop several extensions, including a version of EBP for continuous regression problems and a PBP variant for binary classification. Next, we extend both algorithms to deal with multiclass classification and count regression problems. On a variety of diverse real world benchmarks, we find our extensions to be effective, achieving results competitive with the state-of-the-art.