Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online courses at a community college: a study of student characteristics

Nancy Murray Kegelman ONLINE COURSES AT A COMMUNITY COLLEGE: A STUDY OF STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS 2010/2011 Robert B. Campbell, Ed.D. Educational Leadership Over five and a half million students in higher education were taking online classes in fall 2009. The annual growth rate (21%) in online enrollments from 2002 to 2009 far exceeded the enrollment growth (2%) in higher education for that seven year period (Allen & Seaman, 2010). Continued rapid growth in online enrollments is predicted despite students’ significantly lower success rate in online classes than in face-to-face classes. This action research study was conducted to correlate student characteristics with online success in one community college. The researcher also examined the researcher’s leadership growth and style through the design, development, and implementation of the research project. This study utilized quantitative data obtained from online students’ self-perceptions of their skills and behaviors via an electronic survey and self-reflection. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between student self perceptions of their: self regulation, computer skills, independent learning; need for asynchronous delivery; academic skills and the student’s grade point average. None were statistically significant. There was, however, a moderate correlation between the number of online classes a student took during the semester, and her online performance. The study suggests students who are new to the online learning environment are unaware of their additional responsibilities and would be well served by an orientation to the additional expectations of online
System for tamoxifen‐inducible expression of cre‐recombinase from the Foxa2 locus in mice

To study the roles of key transcription factor networks, growth factors, and signaling molecules in the endoderm, notochord, and floorplate, we developed an inducible Cre‐expressing system for altering gene function in this tissue. We generated an allele of Foxa2 that directs a tamoxifen‐regulated Cre in the Foxa2 expression domain (Foxa2mcm). Activity of Foxa2mcm recapitulates endogenous Foxa2 expression in endoderm, notochord, and floorplate. Efficiency of the system in a given tissue type was dose‐ and timing‐dependent. By comparing efficiency and location of Cre activity after administration of tamoxifen by oral gavage vs. intraperitoneal injection, we found that oral gavage achieves more rapid, robust recombination with less embryonic toxicity. This system will be useful for controlling the activity of floxed alleles at multiple stages of mouse embryogenesis and fetal development. Developmental Dynamics 237:447–453, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reduced Support Vector Machines: A Statistical Theory

In dealing with large data sets, the reduced support vector machine (RSVM) was proposed for the practical objective to overcome some computational difficulties as well as to reduce the model complexity. In this paper, we study the RSVM from the viewpoint of sampling design, its robustness, and the spectral analysis of the reduced kernel. We consider the nonlinear separating surface as a mixture of kernels. Instead of a full model, the RSVM uses a reduced mixture with kernels sampled from certain candidate set. Our main results center on two major themes. One is the robustness of the random subset mixture model. The other is the spectral analysis of the reduced kernel. The robustness is judged by a few criteria as follows: 1) model variation measure; 2) model bias (deviation) between the reduced model and the full model; and 3) test power in distinguishing the reduced model from the full one. For the spectral analysis, we compare the eigenstructures of the full kernel matrix and the approximation kernel matrix. The approximation kernels are generated by uniform random subsets. The small discrepancies between them indicate that the approximation kernels can retain most of the relevant information for learning tasks in the full kernel. We focus on some statistical theory of the reduced set method mainly in the context of the RSVM. The use of a uniform random subset is not limited to the RSVM. This approach can act as a supplemental algorithm on top of a basic optimization algorithm, wherein the actual optimization takes place on the subset-approximated data. The statistical properties discussed in this paper are still valid
An evaluation of student reading attitudes : does ability affect attitude?

The relationship between ability and reading attitude were studied to determine the correlation between the variables by using a reading attitude survey. Prior research suggests that a positive correlation between attitude and ability. The research hypothesis stated that there would be a positive correlation between attitude and ability. Twenty-nine fifth-grade students from four classrooms were used as the subjects of the study. All were classified into ability subgroups based on two ability variables. First the students were grouped by their identification in the Academically and Intellectually Gifted program at the school. The second set of subgroups was based upon the students previous years end of grade test score. The students were administered the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (McKenna and Kear, 1990). No correlation between attitude and ability was identified. Therefore, it is tentatively concluded that ability does not have an effect on attitude in this sample.
X-Ray Diffraction: Instrumentation and Applications

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a powerful nondestructive technique for characterizing crystalline materials. It provides information on structures, phases, preferred crystal orientations (texture), and other structural parameters, such as average grain size, crystallinity, strain, and crystal defects. X-ray diffraction peaks are produced by constructive interference of a monochromatic beam of X-rays scattered at specific angles from each set of lattice planes in a sample. The peak intensities are determined by the distribution of atoms within the lattice. Consequently, the X-ray diffraction pattern is the fingerprint of periodic atomic arrangements in a given material. This review summarizes the scientific trends associated with the rapid development of the technique of X-ray diffraction over the past five years pertaining to the fields of pharmaceuticals, forensic science, geological applications, microelectronics, and glass manufacturing, as well as in corrosion analysis.
Ceramide Synthesis Correlates with the Posttranscriptional Regulation of the Sterol-Regulatory Element-Binding Protein

Objective—Sterol-regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) regulate transcription of genes of lipid metabolism. Ceramide decreases transcriptionally active SREBP levels independently of intracellular cholesterol levels. Mechanisms of the ceramide-mediated decrease of SREBP levels were investigated. Methods and Results—Experiments were performed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Inhibition of ceramide synthesis with myriocin, cycloserine, or fumonisin decreases levels of transcriptionally active SREBP and reduces SRE-mediated gene transcription. When ceramide synthesis is increased through exogenous sphingosine or inhibition of sphingosine kinase, SRE-mediated gene transcription is increased. The important role of ceramide synthesis in SRE-mediated gene transcription is confirmed in LY-B cells that do not synthesize ceramide de novo. LY-B cells fail to increase SRE-mediated gene transcription in sterol depletion. Conclusions—Ceramide synthesis correlates with the generation of transcriptionally active SREBP and SRE-mediated gene transcription. Inhibition of ceramide synthesis decreases levels of transcriptionally active SREBP and SRE-mediated gene transcription. It is hypothesized that the process of ongoing ceramide synthesis contributes to the physiological processing of SREBP, perhaps affecting ER-to-Golgi trafficking. Taken together, modification of ceramide synthesis could be a novel target for drug development in the pharmacologic modification of SRE-dependent pathways.
MAC-layer integration of multiple radio bands in indoor millimeter wave networks

The abundant bandwidth at 60 GHz band (around 7 GHz) offers the potential for multi-Gbps indoor wireless connections for bandwidth-intensive applications. However, 60 GHz millimeter wave (mmWave) links are highly susceptible to blockage since it is difficult to diffract around obstacles. In this paper, we propose multi-radio band integration framework to have 2.4/5 GHz band assist mmWave band to prevent drastic data rate reduction. Specifically, the problem of multi-radio band integration with TDMA-based MAC is formulated as an optimization problem. We decompose the problem into two subproblems: radio band selection and space-time scheduling. Firstly, considering network load and mmWave channel status, we define start-integration threshold and stop-integration threshold to select an active radio band for data transmission. Secondly, a space-time scheduling scheme is proposed to allow multiple flows over different radio bands operate concurrently to exploit the spatial reuse. Simulation results of the proposed multi-radio band integration mechanism demonstrate significant improvements of network connectivity and the number of supported traffic flows.
Teaching beliefs: a comparison between Italian primary and secondary school trainee teachers

This paper presents research which compares the teaching beliefs of primary and secondary school trainee teachers. Participants were 177 trainee teachers, 92 enrolled in a primary school teacher degree course, and 85 enrolled in a postgraduate teacher training course specifically for music teaching at secondary school level (middle and high school). A questionnaire was employed for assessing beliefs. By performing factor analysis, the following four dimensions were extracted: innovative teaching and cooperative learning, teacher-centred approach, learner-centred approach and working collaboratively. Data were subjected to analysis of variance for each factor of the questionnaire. Significant differences between primary and secondary trainee teachers in the way they think about music teaching were found. The relevance of these factors and differences was discussed in considering how to improve the education of teachers.
Child sexual abuse in Lebanon during war and peace.

PURPOSE Child sexual abuse (CSA) is rarely addressed in the Arab world. This study examined the prevalence, risk factors and consequences associated with CSA in Lebanese children before, during and after the 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli war. METHOD A total of 1028 Lebanese children (556 boys; 472 girls) were administered an interview questionnaire that included the International Child Abuse Screening Tool, the Trauma Symptom Checklist and the Family Functioning in Adolescence Questionnaire. RESULTS In total, 249 (24%) children reported at least one incident of CSA; 110 (11%) occurred before the war, 90 (8%) took place in the 1-year period after the war to the time of the data collection and 49 (5%) occurred during the 33-day war. There were no gender differences in CSA reports before or after the war, but boys reported more incidents during the war than did girls. Girls who reported CSA had higher trauma-related symptoms for sleep disturbance, somatization, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and anxiety than did boys. There were geographic differences in the reports of abuse that may be associated with poverty and living standards. Logistic regression analyses correctly classified 89.9% of the cases and indicated that children's age, family size, fathers' education level and family functioning significantly predicted CSA during the period following the war. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of CSA in the current study is within the reported international range. Given the increase in the incidents of CSA during the war and the significant findings for family-related risk factors, there is an urgent need to provide multi-component culturally appropriate interventions that target the child and the family system in times of peace and conflict.
Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of Rabbit Antithymocyte Globulin Compared With IL-2 Receptor Antagonist Induction Therapy in Kidney Transplantation

Objective:The aim of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of induction with rabbit antithymocyte globulin (RATG) compared with interleukin-2 receptor antagonists in a racially diverse kidney transplant patient population under modern immunosuppression. Background:The optimal induction therapy in patients at risk for rejection, particularly black recipients, in the modern era of immunosuppression with flow cytometry-based cross-matching is unclear. Methods:This was a prospective, risk-stratified, randomized, single-center, open-label study of 200 consecutively enrolled patients in a large academic teaching center. Patients were randomized to receive either daclizumab or basiliximab versus RATG for induction in combination with tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and corticosteroids. Patients were stratified between groups to ensure equal numbers of black, retransplants, high panel reactive antibodies (PRAs) (>20%), and prolonged cold ischemic times (>24 hours) in each group. Primary outcome measure is treatment efficacy defined as the incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection and estimated creatinine clearance. Patients were followed up for 12 months. Renal transplant recipients were included if they were adult (≥18 years old) and received an allograft from a deceased, living unrelated, or nonhuman leukocyte antigen identical living-related donor. Results:A total of 200 patients (n = 98 in the interleukin-2 receptor antagonists, and n = 102 in the RATG) were enrolled from February 2009 through July 2011. One-year acute rejection rates were low and similar between groups (10% in the interleukin-2 receptor antagonist group vs 6% in the RATG group; P = 0.30). Creatinine clearance was also similar between groups (interleukin-2 receptor antagonist group 56 ± 20 mL/min per 1.73 m2 vs RATG group 55 ± 22 mL/min per 1.73 m2; P = 0.73). Subanalysis of recipient race revealed that in blacks only RATG was protective against 6- and 12-month acute rejection, without an increased risk of infection. Induction did not affect rejection rates according to recipient calculated PRAs; however, RATG was associated with an increased risk of BK virus in low-PRA patients. Conclusions and Relevance:RATG induction provides improved protection against early acute rejection in black renal transplant recipients, whereas sensitized patients do not seem to demonstrate a similar benefit from this therapy. This study is registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00859131).
Cohesion and satisfaction as mediators of the team trust – team effectiveness relationship: An interdependence theory perspective

Purpose – With extant research on the relationship between trust and effectiveness being inconclusive, the present study attempts to create a foundational investigation that examines the role of multiple mediators in the team trust – team effectiveness relationship. The authors identified the two emergent states of cohesion and satisfaction as intervening variables in the team trust – team effectiveness relationship, and tested this multi-mediation proposed model, within an interdependence theory perspective. Design/methodology/approach – MBA students at a large university in the southwestern USA were administered two waves of paper-based surveys, which were assigned to project groups. Individuals had been assigned to groups with the intent of maximizing diversity of age, gender, functional background, industry experience, and undergraduate major for each team (this is a goal of the MBA program, not the researchers). The first wave was administered one week after the groups had been formed and after all g.
Forensic Therapeutic Communities: A Critique of Treatment Model and Evidence Base

This article will explore developments in practice within therapeutic communities (TCs) from the early ideas which informed socially-driven treatments to the more recent approaches which have emerged alongside current developments in forensic psychology and criminological research. It will focus on how the role of TCs has been forced to evolve and refine itself and explore why, despite their developing role as a forensic intervention, the potential of TCs to inform and contribute to wider forensic and penal practice has not been fully recognised. The strength of their research base will also be assessed and the accusation that a lack of quality research continues to present a significant obstacle to the wider credibility of TCs will be considered. Whilst TCs have prided themselves with protecting and preserving their origins and clinical traditions, misleading associations continue to be drawn between modern TCs and the unorthodox and maverick practices of 1960s TC approaches. Their attempts to counter these charges, which have enabled their critics to dismiss them as being unscientific, invalidated and largely irrelevant to offender risk reduction, will be explored.
A Bayesian back-calculation method to estimate the risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canada during the period 1996–2011

ABSTRACT Seventeen typical cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) were detected in Canada the period of 2003-2011. The clinical incidence of BSE was censored by early slaughter, death, or exportation of infected cattle due to the long incubation period of BSE disease. The aim of this study was to estimate the infection incidence of BSE in birth cohorts during 1996–2004 and project infection frequency through to 2007. An estimate of the number of asymptomatic infected cattle slaughtered for human consumption is also provided. The number of incident, asymptomatic cases was assumed to follow a Poisson process. A Bayesian back-calculation approach was used to project the risk of contracting BSE in those birth cohorts. Model parameters and inputs were taken from scientific literature and governmental data sources. The projected number of infected cattle in birth cohorts spanning the period 1996–2007 was 492, with median 95% credible interval 258–830. If the requirement to remove specified risk material (SRM) from cattle prior to entering the food chain was not in place, the predicted number of slaughtered infected in the human food chain from 1996–2010 was 298, with a 95% credible interval 156–500. The magnitude of the BSE epidemic in Canada for 1996–2007 birth cohorts was estimated to be approximately 28-fold higher than the number of clinical cases detected through to October 2011. Although some of those cattle were slaughtered for human consumption, the requirement of SRM removal may have prevented most of the infectious material from entering the food chain.
Role of metal electrodes in the generation of third order nonlinearities in TC-SAW devices

In the present work, nonlinearities in temperature compensating (TC) SAW devices are investigated. The materials used are LiNbO3-rot128YX as the substrate and Copper electrodes covered with a SiO2-layer as the compensating layer. In order to understand the role of these materials for the nonlinearities in such acoustic devices, a FEM simulation model in combination with a perturbation approach [1] is applied. The nonlinear tensor data of the different materials involved in TC-SAW devices have been taken from literature, but were partially modified to fit experimental data by introducing scaling factors. An effective nonlinearity constant is determined by comparison of nonlinear P-matrix simulations to IMD3 measurements of test filters. By employing these constants in nonlinear periodic P-matrix simulations a direct comparison to nonlinear periodic FEM-simulations yields the scaling factors for the material used. Thus, the contribution of different materials to the nonlinear behavior of TC-SAW devices is obtained and the role of metal electrodes is discussed in detail.
An Emphatic Approach to the Problem of Off-policy Temporal-Difference Learning

In this paper we introduce the idea of improving the performance of parametric temporal-difference (TD) learning algorithms by selectively emphasizing or de-emphasizing their updates on different time steps. In particular, we show that varying the emphasis of linear TD(γ)'s updates in a particular way causes its expected update to become stable under off-policy training. The only prior model-free TD methods to achieve this with per-step computation linear in the number of function approximation parameters are the gradient-TD family of methods including TDC, GTD(γ), and GQ(λ). Compared to these methods, our emphatic TD(λ) is simpler and easier to use; it has only one learned parameter vector and one step-size parameter. Our treatment includes general state-dependent discounting and bootstrapping functions, and a way of specifying varying degrees of interest in accurately valuing different states.
Multicenter randomized clinical trial of donepezil for memory impairment in multiple sclerosis

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine if memory would be improved by donepezil as compared to placebo in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized clinical trial (RCT). Methods: Donepezil 10 mg daily was compared to placebo to treat memory impairment. Eligibility criteria included the following: age 18–59 years, clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS), and performance ≤½ SD below published norms on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Neuropsychological assessments were performed at baseline and 24 weeks. Primary outcomes were change on the Selective Reminding Test (SRT) of verbal memory and the participant's impression of memory change. Secondary outcomes included changes on other neuropsychological tests and the evaluating clinician's impression of memory change. Results: A total of 120 participants were enrolled and randomized to either donepezil or placebo. No significant treatment effects were found between groups on either primary outcome of memory or any secondary cognitive outcomes. A trend was noted for the clinician's impression of memory change in favor of donepezil (37.7%) vs placebo (23.7%) (p = 0.097). No serious or unanticipated adverse events attributed to study medication developed. Conclusions: Donepezil did not improve memory as compared to placebo on either of the primary outcomes in this study. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class I evidence which does not support the hypothesis that 10 mg of donepezil daily for 24 weeks is superior to placebo in improving cognition as measured by the SRT in people with MS whose baseline RAVLT score was 0.5 SD or more below average.
Postoperative Recurrence as an Associated Factor of Malignant Transformation of Oral Dysplastic Leukoplakia

Purpose: To evaluate the clinically associated factors of malignant transformation in patients who received laser surgery for oral dysplastic leukoplakia. Procedures: The clinicopathological data of patients receiving laser surgery for dysplastic leukoplakia from 2002 to 2008 and HPV genomic DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded specimens were analyzed statistically. Results: A total 114 patients, 90 males and 24 females with an average age of 49.7 ± 12.2 years were enrolled. The follow-up period ranged from 1.07 to 7.43 years (mean 3.4 ± 1.3 years). Thirteen cases had malignant transformation (11.4%). Multiple-focus lesions, non-homogeneous leukoplakia, high-grade dysplasia and recurrence after laser treatment were significant factors in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that recurrence (relative risk = 9.40) was the independent prognostic factor for malignant transformation. Conclusions: Recurrence after laser treatment is an independent prognostic factor predicting malignant transformation of dysplastic oral leukoplakia.