Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
School leadership and the cult of the guru: the neo-Taylorism of Hattie

ABSTRACT As one of the central institutions of society, schooling is subject to significant public interest and scrutiny. Fads and fashion successfully developed elsewhere are often rebadged and relaunched in education for the purpose of improvement. Such interventions are often quickly identified as intruders and frequently fade into obscurity, but what of internal interventions, the education research that becomes widely accepted and promoted? In this paper I argue that contemporary thought and analysis in Australian school leadership has submitted to the cult of the guru. Specifically, I contend that dialogue (much less debate) has settled on the work of John Hattie’s meta-meta-analysis giving rise to the Cult of Hattie. This paper is not an attack on Hattie as a person, or even his work, rather an argument about the conditions which have facilitated the rise of a guru. I argue that the uncritical acceptance and proliferation of this cult is a tragedy for Australian school leadership.
Weakly null sequences with an unconditional subsequence

In the present paper we provide sufficient conditions such that a normalized pointwise convergent to zero sequence in C(K,X) with K a compact space and X a Banach space has an unconditional subsequence. As a consequence we obtain that any such sequence of functions (f n ) n with finite and uniformly bounded cardinality of their range admits an unconditional subsequence.
Wide Tuning Band Low Phase Noise LC Voltage Controlled Oscillators Designed in Low Cost CMOS Technologies

This paper demonstrates the feasibility of implementing wide tuning band low phase noise oscillators in low cost Sibased integration technologies. For that, it is necessary to use radio-frequency switched capacitors arrays (RFSCA) and differentially tuned anti-parallel varactors. To corroborate this idea, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), designed in a low cost 0.35 μm CMOS technology, is presented and described. This oscillator presents a continuous tuning range from 2.05 to 3.55 GHz and a phase noise closer to -117.5 dBc/Hz for an offset frequency of 1 MHz. The circuit works with a voltage supply of 2 V and has a current consumption of 7 mA.
Influence of Selected Exercise on Serum Immunoglobulin, Testosterone and Cortisol in Semi-Endurance Elite Runners

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare the levels of serum immunoglobulin (IgA, IgM, IgG), testosterone and cortisol in semi-endurance elite runners during general preparation and competition phase of training. Methods Thirteen semi-endurance elite male runners with an average age of 18.92±1.7 years volunteered to take part in this study. The runners participated in the selected training for a period of 14 weeks and 12 sessions per week (in the morning and afternoon). Blood samples were collected during the three phases of training (before-preparation phase, after-preparation phase and before-competition phase). Data were analyzed by repeated measures and Bonferroni post hoc test, at a significance level of P<0.05. Results The levels of serum IgM in semi-endurance elite runners after preparation phase reduced significantly (P=0.004), while these levels during the competition phase increased even though significantly. The levels of serum IgG and IgA also reduced, however not significantly, during both phases. Moreover, after preparation phase, there was no significant change in serum IgA levels; though, these levels reduced, however not significantly, before competition phase. Cortisol levels significantly decrease after preparation phase (P=0.04); although, it increased before competition phase. Testosterone/cortisol ratio increases significantly after preparation phase (P=0.04), and it decreased before competition phase. Testosterone levels intangibility increased and decreased respectively after preparation and before competition phases. Conclusions Findings indicated that long and intensive exercises weaken the immune system, while moderate and short drills strengthened this system.
Psychological Distance Cues in Online Messages: Interrelatedness of Probability and Spatial Distance

Growing evidence reveals that people rely on heuristic cues when processing online information. The current research, by adopting a construal level theory approach, examined whether psychological distance cues within online messages influence message processing. According to construal level theory, spatial and hypothetical distances (i.e., probabilities, likelihoods) share an association based on psychological distance. Construal level literature suggests that people overgeneralize this association and attribute unlikely events to distant places and likely events to close-by places. The current research provides a novel test of this relationship in an online communication setting. In two within-subjects experiments (Studies 1 and 2), we presented participants tweets depicting likely and unlikely events, and measured whether they attribute them to spatially close or far sources. Confirming our predictions, participants utilized the psychological distance cues and attributed the likely tweets to spatially close and the unlikely tweets to spatially far sources. In two follow-up experiments, we tested the same relationship by employing between-subjects designs. In Study 3 where participants saw one spatial distance and both likely and unlikely tweets, participants formed the same association albeit less strongly and attributed the unlikely tweets to spatially distant sources. In Study 4, where participants saw two spatial distances and only one tweet, the expected association was not formed. Findings suggest that comparison of likelihood information is necessary to form an association between source location and tweet likelihood. The implications of psychological distance and a construal level theory approach are discussed in the context of online heuristics and persuasion.
Preoperative and postoperative dextromethorphan provides sustained reduction in postoperative pain and patient‐controlled epidural analgesia requirement

Pain is mediated centrally by N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors. The antinociceptive effects of preincision dextromethorphan (DM), an NMDA antagonist, have been demonstrated in surgical patients under general or epidural anesthesia. The authors investigated the effects of DM on postoperative pain and other parameters in patients undergoing surgery for bone malignancy under standardized combined general and epidural anesthesia using patient‐controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) postoperatively.
THE PROPERTIES OF NUCLEAR MATTER

The microscopic and bulk properties of nuclear matter at zero and finite temperatures are studied in the frame of the Brueckner theory. The results for the symmetry energy are also obtained using different potentials. The calculations are based on realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions which reproduce the nucleon-nucleon phase shifts. These microscopic approaches are supplemented by a density-dependent contact interaction to achieve the empirical saturation property of symmetric nuclear matter. Special attention is paid to behavior of the effective mass in asymmetric nuclear matter. The nuclear symmetry potential at fixed nuclear density is also calculated and its value decreases with increasing the nucleon energy. The hot properties of nuclear matter are also calculated using T2-approximation at low temperatures. Good agreement is obtained in comparison with previous works around the saturation point.
Explaining Job Polarization in Europe: The Roles of Technology, Globalization and Institutions

This paper shows the employment structure of 16 European countries has been polarizing in recent years with the employment shares of managers, professionals and low-paid personal services workers increasing at the expense of the employment shares of middling manufacturing and routine office workers. To explain this job polarization, the paper develops and estimates a simple model to capture the effects of technology, globalization, institutions and product demand effects on the demand for different occupations. The results suggest that the routinization hypothesis of Autor, Levy and Murnane (2003) is the single most important factor behind the observed shifts in employment structure. We find some evidence for offshoring to explain job polarization although its impact is much smaller. We also find that shifts in product demand are acting to attenuate the polarizing impact of routinization and that differences or changes in wage-setting institutions play little role in explaining job polarization in Europe.
Physical Education and Recess Contributions to Sixth Graders' Physical Activity.

Background: The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine the percentage of the daily threshold (12,000 steps) that physical education (PE) class and recess contribute to 6th grade students’ overall daily physical activity (PA) and (b) to examine the relationships between gender, PA outside of school, BMI, and steps during both recess and PE. Method: One hundred thirty-eight 6th grade students aged 11–13 years participated. Students completed the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) and wore a pedometer to measure steps taken for 6 consecutive PE classes and recess sessions. Results: The overall contribution of recess and PE to the daily step goal ranged from 7.1% to 9.6% of the target step count of 12,000. All PA variables were positively correlated with one another (all p < 0.05) and children who took more steps during recess and PE tended to have lower BMI percentiles (both p < 0.05). However, when all variables were entered into the multiple linear regression model simultaneously, only steps taken during PE was predictive of BMI percentile (total model r 2 = 0.145, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Further research is needed to explore PA in schools along with potential interventions to increase PA.
Efficient person re-identification by hybrid spatiogram and covariance descriptor

Feature and metric researchings are two vital aspects in person re-identification. Metric learning seems to have gained extra advantage over feature in recent evaluations. In this paper, we explore the neglected potential of feature designing for re-identification. We propose a novel and efficient person descriptor, which is motivated by traditional spatiogram and covariance descriptors. The spatiogram feature accumulates multiple spatial histograms of different image regions from several color channels and then extracts three descriptive sub-features. The covariance feature exploits several colorspaces and intensity gradients as pixel features and then extracts multiple statistical feature vectors from a pyramid of covariance matrices. Moreover, we also propose an effective and efficient multi-shot re-id metric without learning, which fuses the residual and coding coefficients after collaboratively coding samples on all person classes. The proposed descriptor and metric are evaluated with current methods on benchmark datasets. Our methods not only achieve state-of-the-art results but also are straightforward and computationally efficient, facilitating real-time surveillance applications such as pedestrian tracking and robotic perception in various dynamic scenes.
The benefits and challenges of the integrated programme for children with disabilities in mainstream kindergarten-cum-child care centres in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: implications for social change

Abstract Initially developed from policies implemented under British rule, the integrated programme for children with disabilities has not been widely publicised in the context of early childhood education in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Local communities have responded differently to the integrated programme implemented in mainstream kindergarten-cum-child care centres (Kg-cum-CCCs), which serve children from 2 to 6 years old. This study focuses on the perceived benefits and challenges of the integrated programme implemented in mainstream Kg-cum-CCCs. Thirty stakeholders (18 school personnel and 12 parents of children with and without disabilities) from six integrated Kg-cum-CCCs took part in a series of semi-structured in-depth interviews, providing a comprehensive database for this study. The data were analysed with reference to previous studies on the integrated programme for children with disabilities in the context of the current educational experience in the HKSAR. The findings indicate that the stakeholders believe that the integrated programme can benefit children with and without disabilities, but that it can also cause challenges for these children. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Detailed recollection of remote autobiographical memory after damage to the medial temporal lobe

Previous findings of intact remote autobiographical memory in patients with medial temporal lobe damage have been questioned on the grounds that the narrative recollections were impoverished and fact-like and that the methods were not sufficiently sensitive to detect an impairment. We adopted a newer method, the Autobiographical Interview [Levine B, Svoboda E, Hay JF, Winocur G, Moscovitch M (2002) Psychol Aging 17:677–689], which uses extensive probing to elicit an average of 50 or more details per memory (in contrast to the ≈20 details per memory elicited with previous methods). We found that autobiographical recollection was impaired in patients with medial temporal lobe damage when memories were drawn from the recent past but fully intact when memories were drawn from the remote past. Impaired remote autobiographical memory, which has sometimes been reported with this and other tests, is likely caused by significant damage outside the medial temporal lobe.
Image Decomposition and Texture Segmentation via Sparse Representation

Decomposing an image into a texture part and a non-texture (cartoon) part, as well as grouping the texture part into several homogeneous subparts, is studied in this letter. The so-called texture part is composed of both the self-similar structure and the oscillatory noise. The self-similar structure of each homogenous subtexture is captured in its principal subspace. Both the segmentation and the decomposition are essentially related to sparse representation and are united to a framework.
Pregnancy-Related Maternal Risk Factors of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Case-Control Study

Background. The etiology of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is complex.This study was conducted to evaluate the pregnancy-related maternal risk factors of ADHD. Methods. 164 ADHD children attending to Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics compared with 166 normal children selected in a random-cluster method from primary schools. ADHD rating scale and clinical interview based on Schedule for Affective disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children (K-SADS) were used to diagnose ADHD cases and to select the control group. Results. The mean maternal age at pregnancy, duration of pregnancy, and the mean paternal age were alike in two groups. The ADHD children's mothers compared with those of control group had higher frequencies of somatic diseases, psychiatric disorders, and alcohol and cigarette exposure during the pregnancies (P < 0.01). Also birth by cesarean section was more common among mothers of ADHD children (P < 0.001). These factors plus trauma to the abdomen during pregnancy were significantly predictors of ADHD in children. Conclusions. Some pregnancy-related maternal factors may be considered as environmental risk factors for ADHD. Each of these factors considered in our study as a risk factor needs to be tested and confirmed through next methodologically appropriate researches in this field.
The Effect of Legislated Reductions in the Prison Population on Crime Rates

As a major aim of incarceration is to reduce crime, it is important to understand the extent to which it does so. Isolating the effect of prison on crime can be difficult because of reverse causation: higher crime rates also tend to lead to larger prison populations. This paper utilizes state legislated reductions in the prison population to address this question. These policy changes were adopted because of budget or prison overcrowding concerns, and the legislation achieved its goals by shortening sentences and releasing from prison many nonviolent offenders. Using state level data from 1982 to 2009, I estimate that these actions lead to a 9.2 percent decline in state prison populations. In two stage least squares models that use the release legislation as an instrument for prison population, results indicate that a decline in the prison population leads to a statistically significant increase in nonviolent crime rates, with an elasticity of approximately 0.367. There is no statistically significant impact of release on violent crime, which is expected given the prison population impacted by the laws. Notre Dame Economics Honors Program Senior Thesis Advised by Dr. William Evans
Impact of the regional climate and substance properties on the fate and atmospheric long-range transport of persistent organic pollutants - examples of DDT and γ-HCH

A global multicompartment model which is based on a 3-D atmospheric general circulation model (ECHAM5) coupled to 2-D soil, vegetation and sea surface mixed layer reservoirs, is used to simulate the atmospheric transports and total environmental fate of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and -hexachlorocyclohexane ( -HCH, lindane). Emissions into the model world reflect the substance's agri- cultural usage in 1980 and 1990 and same amounts in se- quential years are applied. Four scenarios of DDT usage and atmospheric decay and one scenario of -HCH are studied over a decade. The global environment is predicted to be contaminated by the substances within ca. 2 a (years). DDT reaches quasi- steady state within 3-4 a in the atmosphere and vegetation compartments, ca. 6 a in the sea surface mixed layer and near to or slightly more than 10 a in soil. Lindane reaches quasi- steady state in the atmosphere and vegetation within 2 a, in soils within 8 years and near to or slightly more than 10 a and in the sea surface mixed layer. The substances' differ- ences in environmental behaviour translate into differences in the compartmental distribution and total environmental res- idence time, overall. overall 0.8 a for -HCH's and 1.0- 1.3 a for the various DDT scenarios. Both substances' distri- butions are predicted to migrate in northerly direction, 5-12 for DDT and 6.7 for lindane between the first and the tenth year in the environment. Cycling in various receptor regions is a complex superposition of influences of regional climate, advection, and the substance's physico-chemical properties. As a result of these processes the model simulations show that remote boreal regions are not necessarily less contam- inated than tropical receptor regions. Although the atmo- sphere accounts for only 1% of the total contaminant bur- den, transport and transformation in the atmosphere is key for the distribution in other compartments. Hence, besides the physico-chemical properties of pollutants the location of application (entry) affects persistence and accumulation em- phasizing the need for georeferenced exposure models.
Amygdala and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Are Inversely Coupled during Regulation of Negative Affect and Predict the Diurnal Pattern of Cortisol Secretion among Older Adults

Among younger adults, the ability to willfully regulate negative affect, enabling effective responses to stressful experiences, engages regions of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the amygdala. Because regions of PFC and the amygdala are known to influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, here we test whether PFC and amygdala responses during emotion regulation predict the diurnal pattern of salivary cortisol secretion. We also test whether PFC and amygdala regions are engaged during emotion regulation in older (62- to 64-year-old) rather than younger individuals. We measured brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging as participants regulated (increased or decreased) their affective responses or attended to negative picture stimuli. We also collected saliva samples for 1 week at home for cortisol assay. Consistent with previous work in younger samples, increasing negative affect resulted in ventral lateral, dorsolateral, and dorsomedial regions of PFC and amygdala activation. In contrast to previous work, decreasing negative affect did not produce the predicted robust pattern of higher PFC and lower amygdala activation. Individuals demonstrating the predicted effect (decrease < attend in the amygdala), however, exhibited higher signal in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) for the same contrast. Furthermore, participants displaying higher VMPFC and lower amygdala signal when decreasing compared with the attention control condition evidenced steeper, more normative declines in cortisol over the course of the day. Individual differences yielded the predicted link between brain function while reducing negative affect in the laboratory and diurnal regulation of endocrine activity in the home environment.
Greedy Routing and the Algorithmic Small-World Phenomenon

The algorithmic small-world phenomenon, empirically established by Milgram's letter forwarding experiments from the 60s, was theoretically explained by Kleinberg in 2000. However, from today's perspective his model has several severe shortcomings that limit the applicability to real-world networks. In order to give a more convincing explanation of the algorithmic small-world phenomenon, we study decentralized greedy routing in a more flexible random graph model (geometric inhomogeneous random graphs) which overcomes all previous shortcomings. Apart from exhibiting good properties in theory, it has also been extensively experimentally validated that this model reasonably captures real-world networks. In this model, the greedy routing protocol is purely distributed as each vertex only needs to know information about its direct neighbors. We prove that it succeeds with constant probability, and in case of success almost surely finds an almost shortest path of length Θ(log log n), where our bound is tight including the leading constant. Moreover, we study natural local patching methods which augment greedy routing by backtracking and which do not require any global knowledge. We show that such methods can ensure success probability 1 in an asymptotically tight number of steps. These results also address the question of Krioukov et al. whether there are efficient local routing protocols for the internet graph. There were promising experimental studies, but the question remained unsolved theoretically. Our results give for the first time a rigorous and analytical affirmative answer.