Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with the integration of ICT into Chinese primary school classrooms: an interplay of teacher-related variables

: Available research is helpful to list a wide variety of factors influencing ICT adoption and integration in classroom teaching. But, existing studies hardly center on the combined impact of these variables. In addition, little research is available set up in the Chinese context. The latter is important given the rather limited extent ICT is currently being used in China and given the different cultural context in which the interplay between teacher beliefs and educational practices has yet been little documented. The present study centers on the complex interplay of a number of internal teacher variables to explain ICT classroom integration. These variables comprise “teachers’ constructivist teaching beliefs”, “teacher attitudes towards computers in education”, “teachers’ computer motivation”, “teacher perception of ICT-related policy”. A survey was set up, involving 820 Chinese primary school teachers. Path modeling was used to explore the direct and indirect effects of the teacher related variables on their level of classroom ICT integration. Firstly, two distinctive types of ICT use can be distinguished in this Chinese context: (a) Teacher supportive use of ICT that refers to the use of ICT for e.g., student administration, preparing worksheets, developing evaluation activities, keeping track of pupils’ learning progress, (b) Classroom use of ICT to support and enhance the actual teaching and learning process. The results show that classroom use of ICT directly depends on teachers’ computer motivation and the supportive use of ICT. Teachers’ constructivist beliefs, their attitudes towards computers in education and perceptions about the ICT-related school policy influence ICT integration in an indirect way. The results demonstrate how a the complex interplay between teacher related variables and ICT integration in the classroom is partly in line with findings in non-Asian contexts. A number of differences can be explained by the particular Chinese context. In particular an indirect relationship was found between teachers’ constructivist beliefs and their level of ICT integration. This is partly be explained by the Chinese educational tradition, based on the Confucian philosophy emphasizing “a group-based, teacher-dominated, and centrally organized pedagogical culture”.
How Much Feedback is Required in Multi-Antenna Downlink Cellular Systems?

We consider a downlink cellular network where multi-antenna base stations (BSs) transmit data to single-antenna users by using one of two linear precoding methods with limited feedback: (i) maximum ratio transmission (MRT) for serving a single user or (ii) zero forcing (ZF) for serving multiple users. The BS and user locations are drawn from a Poisson point process, allowing expressions for the signal- to-interference coverage probability and the ergodic spectral efficiency to be derived as a function of system parameters such as the number of BS antennas and feedback bits, and the pathloss exponent. We find a tight lower bound on the optimum number of feedback bits to maximize the net spectral efficiency, which captures the overall system gain by considering both of downlink and uplink spectral efficiency using limited feedback. Our main finding is that, when using MRT, the optimum number of feedback bits scales linearly with the number of antennas, and logarithmically with the channel coherence time. When using ZF, the feedback scales in the same ways as MRT, but also linearly with the pathloss exponent. The derived results provide system-level insights into the preferred channel codebook size by averaging the effects of short-term fading and long-term pathloss.
Use of research questionnaires in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in England: impact on screening uptake

Background The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in England offers biennial screening to those aged 60-74 using a faecal occult blood test (FOBt) sent by post. Data from this national clinical programme can also be used for research. Awareness of the impact of such studies on screening participation is important. Aims To investigate the effect on screening uptake of adding a research questionnaire to the postal screening invitation. Methods People invited for screening in 2008–10 in two areas of England were randomized to receive or not to receive an additional research study questionnaire, consent form and study information, either with their test kit or 2-3 days later. Uptake of screening was examined in relation to study mailings. Results Among 11,579 people invited for screening by the Midlands and North West Bowel Cancer Screening Hub, screening uptake was significantly lower in those who received study documents with their FOBt kit than in those who did not (48.6% vs 53.5% respectively: p < 0.001). The reduction in uptake was similar in men and women, and was greater in people living in more deprived areas. Among a further 36,195 people invited for screening by the Midlands and North West and Southern Hubs, sending study documents by separate mailing 2–3 days after the FOBt kit did not affect screening uptake (uptake with and without additional study mailing: Midlands and North West, 56.7% and 56.2% respectively, p = 0.6; Southern, 52.0% and 51.4% respectively, p = 0.5). Conclusions Researchers planning studies that include contact with potential participants within the NHS Bowel Cancer and similar screening programmes should be aware of the potential impact on uptake.
MR evaluation of developmental venous anomalies: medullary venous anatomy of venous angiomas.

PURPOSE To present characteristic MR findings of developmental venous anomalies (DVAs) in terms of location of caput and draining veins, to correlate these findings with normal medullary venous anatomy, and to suggest an approach to the evaluation of DVAs by means of MR imaging. METHODS We reviewed the contrast-enhanced MR examinations of 61 patients with DVA, which were selected from 4624 consecutive cranial MR examinations. Site of the DVA and size and direction of draining veins were recorded. RESULTS Seventy-two DVAs with 78 draining veins were located: 18 were juxtacortical, 13 were subcortical, and 41 were periventricular or deep. Twenty-six of the DVA caputs were frontal, 16 were parietal, 13 were in the brachium pontis/dentate, seven were in the temporal lobe, three were in the cerebellar hemisphere, three were in the occipital lobe, three were in the basal ganglia, and one was in the pons. The draining veins were superficial in 29 cases and deep in 49. Of the 36 supratentorial deep draining veins, 16 were in the trigone/occipital horn, 11 were in the mid-body of the lateral ventricle, seven were in the frontal horn, and two were in the temporal horn. Among the 14 infratentorial deep draining veins, five were in the lateral recess of the fourth ventricle, four were anterior transpontine veins, three were lateral transpontine veins, and two were precentral cerebellar veins. CONCLUSION The DVA caputs and their draining veins occurred in typical locations that could be predicted from the normal medullary venous anatomy, with the frontal, parietal, and brachium pontis/dentate being the most common locations. Drainage can occur in superficial cortical veins or sinuses or in deep ventricular veins or in both, no matter where the caput is located. Whether drainage was superficial or deep could not be predicted on the basis of the site of the DVA caput. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR images showed the DVAs best, but diagnosis could be made from T2-weighted MR images.
An Invitation to Imitation

Abstract : Imitation learning is the study of algorithms that attempt to improve performance by mimicking a teacher's decisions and behaviors. Such techniques promise to enable effective programming by demonstration to automate tasks, such as driving, that people can demonstrate but find difficult to hand program. This work represents a summary from a very personal perspective of research on computationally effective methods for learning to imitate behavior. I intend it to serve two audiences: to engage machine learning experts in the challenges of imitation learning and the interesting theoretical and practical distinctions with more familiar frameworks like statistical supervised learning theory; and equally, to make the frameworks and tools available for imitation learning more broadly appreciated by roboticists and experts in applied artificial intelligence.
Nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy: Effects on food intake and diet quality

Abstract Experiences of nausea and/or vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) vary greatly, but the paucity of studies with pre‐pregnancy dietary data mean that little is known about the effects of NVP on diet. Using an administered food frequency questionnaire, diet was assessed before pregnancy and at 11 and 34 weeks' gestation in 2270 participants in a UK birth cohort study (Southampton Women's Survey). Experience of NVP in early pregnancy was graded as none, mild, moderate, or severe. Participants reported their level of food consumption as more, the same, or less than before pregnancy. “Prudent” diet scores (derived using principal component analysis) were used to describe participants' diet quality before, in early and late pregnancy. In early pregnancy, 89% of women were nauseous, although most commonly, the NVP experienced was mild (48%) or moderate (30%); 11% had severe NVP. A total of 39% of women reported an increase in their level of food intake in early pregnancy; 34% reported a reduction. Increasing severity of nausea was associated with changes in intake of a range of foods, most notably reduced consumption of vegetables, tea/coffee, rice/pasta, breakfast cereals, beans/pulses and citrus fruits/fruit juices and increased consumption of white bread, and soft drinks. Increasing severity of nausea was also associated with decreasing prudent diet score from before to early pregnancy, such that women with severe nausea had prudent diet scores 0.29 SDs lower than those with no nausea (P < 0.001). However, this was transient as NVP was not related to change in diet quality from before to late pregnancy.
Localized distribution of alpha 9 integrin in the cornea and changes in expression during corneal epithelial cell differentiation.

A recently characterized integrin alpha-chain, alpha 9, forms heterodimers with the integrin beta 1-chain and is present in the skin with a distribution similar to that of alpha 2 and alpha 3, other beta 1 integrins. To determine whether alpha 9 is expressed in the stratified squamous epithelium of the cornea, we used immunohistochemical techniques to compare the distribution of alpha 9 in the adult mouse cornea with that of alpha 3. Abundant alpha 9 was expressed in the lateral and basal membranes of the basal cells of the conjunctiva and corneal limbus, but very little alpha 9 was present in the basal cells of the central corneal epithelium. In contrast, alpha 3 was present in the membranes of basal cells of the conjunctiva, limbus, and central cornea. To determine when during postnatal maturation of the corneal epithelium alpha 9 becomes restricted to the limbus, we looked at the distribution of alpha 9 and alpha 3 in the developing mouse eye from birth to eyelid opening. At birth, the basal cells of the cornea and developing limbal region did not express alpha 9, but there was abundant alpha 9 expressed in suprabasal cells between the fused lids and in the basal cells of the skin and conjunctiva. In contrast, alpha 3, integrin was expressed uniformly in the basal cells across the surface of the conjunctiva, limbus, and cornea and was present only in the basal cells of the epithelium between the fused eyelids. In the central cornea, alpha 9 expression increased in basal cells up until Day 10 after birth. After Day 10, alpha 9 expression in the central cornea began to decrease; after the lids were open, alpha 9 expression in the central cornea became restricted to the limbus. In the basal and suprabasal cells between the fused eyelids expression of alpha 9 became increasingly restricted over time to the basal cells. Recent data suggest that alpha 9 beta 1 can interact with tenascin. Our dual labeling confocal microscopy studies indicate that localization of alpha 9 and tenascin are not coordinated in the developing mouse cornea. Many recent studies have shown an important role for beta 1 integrins in mediating epithelial cell differentiation in vitro; in vivo, changes in integrin expression have been found in wound healing, psoriasis, and in basal and squamous cell carcinomas. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Chandra and ASCA Observations of the X-Ray-brightest T Tauri Stars in the ρ Ophiuchi Cloud

We present the Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer and ASCA Gas Imaging Spectrometer results for a series of four long-term observations on DoAr 21, ROXs 21, and ROXs 31, the X-ray-brightest T Tauri stars in the ρ Ophiuchi cloud. In the four observations with a net exposure of ~600 ks, we found six, three, and two flares from DoAr 21, ROXs 21, and ROXs 31, respectively; hence, the flare rate is fairly high. The spectra of DoAr 21 are well fitted with a single-temperature plasma model, while those of ROXs 21 and ROXs 31 need an additional soft plasma component. Since DoAr 21 is younger (~105 yr) than ROXs 21 and ROXs 31 (~106 yr), these results may indicate that the soft component gradually increases as T Tauri stars age. The abundances are generally subsolar and vary from element to element. Both high first ionization potential (FIP) and low-FIP elements show enhancement over the mean abundances. An unusual giant flare is detected from ROXs 31. The peak luminosity and temperature are ~1033 ergs s-1 and ~10 keV, respectively. The temperature reaches its peak value before the flux maximum and is nearly constant (4-5 keV) during the decay phase, indicating successive energy release during the flare. The abundances and absorption show dramatic variability from the quiescent to flare phase.
Efficient Gene Knockout in Goats Using CRISPR/Cas9 System

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been adapted as an efficient genome editing tool in laboratory animals such as mice, rats, zebrafish and pigs. Here, we report that CRISPR/Cas9 mediated approach can efficiently induce monoallelic and biallelic gene knockout in goat primary fibroblasts. Four genes were disrupted simultaneously in goat fibroblasts by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing. The single-gene knockout fibroblasts were successfully used for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and resulted in live-born goats harboring biallelic mutations. The CRISPR/Cas9 system represents a highly effective and facile platform for targeted editing of large animal genomes, which can be broadly applied to both biomedical and agricultural applications.
Decentralized security mechanisms for routing protocols

Today's Internet routing protocols are built upon the basic incorrect assumption that routers propagate truthful routing information. As a result, the entire Internet infrastructure is vulnerable to security attacks from routers that propagate incorrect routing information. In fact, a single router is capable of hijacking a significant fraction of routes by launching such an attack. This issue is not just restricted to Internet routing protocols but is widely prevalent in several routing protocols that have been proposed in the research literature. Many existing approaches for addressing the security problems of routing protocols typically assume the existence of a Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI) or some form of prior key distribution mechanism along with a central authority. While a PKI does enable addressing this security threat, building one such key-distribution infrastructure may not always be feasible. One faces serious deployment barriers in building an Internet-wide PKI with a central authority especially given that deploying one such architecture requires approval across political and economic boundaries. Previous efforts for securing Internet routing and the Domain Name System using a PKI have not moved towards adoption. In this dissertation, we address the following question: Using purely decentralized mechanisms (void of a PKI and a central authority), what is the best level of security achievable for a routing protocol in the presence of adversaries? One of the key conclusions that we arrive at is the direct relationship between decentralized security and the reliable communication problem. The reliable communication problem relates to determining the constraints under which a set of good nodes in a network can reliably communicate messages between themselves in the face of adversarial nodes in the network. We show theoretical results on the constraints under which the reliable communication problem is solvable. Based on these results, we describe the design of a reliable communication toolkit that implements our algorithms and provides a suite of generic security primitives that can be used to secure a variety of routing protocols. These security mechanisms supported by the toolkit are well suited for Internet routing since they are both easy to deploy as well as offer good security guarantees. We also show that the toolkit has broader applicability beyond routing protocols to: (a) achieve decentralized key distribution; (b) address the data integrity threat to the Domain Name System (DNS) in a decentralized manner.
Relaxin improves multiple markers of wound healing and ameliorates the disturbed healing pattern of genetically diabetic mice

Diabetic mice are characterized by a disrupted expression pattern of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), and impaired vasculogenesis during healing. Experimental evidence suggests that RLX (relaxin) can improve several parameters associated with wound healing. Therefore we investigated the effects of porcine-derived RLX in diabetes-related wound-healing defects in genetically diabetic mice. An incisional wound model was produced on the back of female diabetic C57BL/KsJ-m+/+Leptdb (db+/db+) mice and their normal littermates (db+/+m). Animals were treated daily with porcine RLX (25 μg/mouse per day, subcutaneously) or its vehicle. Mice were killed on 3, 6 and 12 days after skin injury for measurements of VEGF mRNA and protein synthesis, SDF-1α (stromal cell-derived factor-1α) mRNA and eNOS (endothelial NO synthase) expression. Furthermore, we evaluated wound-breaking strength, histological changes, angiogenesis and vasculogenesis at day 12. Diabetic animals showed a reduced expression of VEGF, eNOS and SDF-1α compared with non-diabetic animals. At day 6, RLX administration resulted in an increase in VEGF mRNA expression and protein wound content, in eNOS expression and in SDF-1α mRNA. Furthermore, the histological evaluation indicated that RLX improved the impaired wound healing, enhanced the staining of MMP-11 (matrix metalloproteinase-11) and increased wound-breaking strength at day 12 in diabetic mice. Immunohistochemistry showed that RLX in diabetic animals augmented new vessel formation by stimulating both angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. RLX significantly reduced the time to complete skin normalization and this effect was abrogated by a concomitant treatment with antibodies against VEGF and CXCR4 (CXC chemokine receptor 4), the SDF-1α receptor. These data strongly suggest that RLX may have a potential application in diabetes-related wound disorders.
Islet1 Derivatives in the Heart Are of Both Neural Crest and Second Heart Field Origin

Rationale: Islet1 (Isl1) has been proposed as a marker of cardiac progenitor cells derived from the second heart field and is utilized to identify and purify cardiac progenitors from murine and human specimens for ex vivo expansion. The use of Isl1 as a specific second heart field marker is dependent on its exclusion from other cardiac lineages such as neural crest. Objective: Determine whether Isl1 is expressed by cardiac neural crest. Methods and Results: We used an intersectional fate-mapping system using the RC::FrePe allele, which reports dual Flpe and Cre recombination. Combining Isl1Cre/+, a SHF driver, and Wnt1::Flpe, a neural crest driver, with Rc::FrePe reveals that some Isl1 derivatives in the cardiac outflow tract derive from Wnt1-expressing neural crest progenitors. In contrast, no overlap was observed between Wnt1-derived neural crest and an alternative second heart field driver, Mef2c-AHF-Cre. Conclusions: Isl1 is not restricted to second heart field progenitors in the developing heart but also labels cardiac neural crest. The intersection of Isl1 and Wnt1 lineages within the heart provides a caveat to using Isl1 as an exclusive second heart field cardiac progenitor marker and suggests that some Isl1-expressing progenitor cells derived from embryos, embryonic stem cultures, or induced pluripotent stem cultures may be of neural crest lineage.
Monitoring Managers: Does it Matter?

We test under what circumstances boards discipline managers and whether such interventions improve performance. We exploit exogenous variation due to the staggered adoption of corporate governance laws in formerly Communist countries coupled with detailed ‘hard’ information about the board’s performance expectations and ‘soft’ information about board and CEO actions and the board’s beliefs about CEO competence in 473 mostly private-sector companies backed by private equity funds between 1993 and 2008. We find that CEOs are fired when the company underperforms relative to the board’s expectations, suggesting that boards use performance to update their beliefs. CEOs are especially likely to be fired when evidence has mounted that they are incompetent and when board power has increased following corporate governance reforms. In contrast, CEOs are not fired when performance deteriorates due to factors deemed explicitly to be beyond their control, nor are they fired for making 'honest mistakes. ' Following forced CEO turnover, companies see performance improvements and their investors are considerably more likely to eventually sell them at a profit.
Transgenes as screening tools to probe and manipulate the zebrafish genome

The zebrafish, originally an object of study as an inexpensive and prolific vertebrate embryological model with a plethora of genetic tricks, has over the past decade moved to large‐scale chemical mutagenesis and recently came of age as a high throughput transgenic model with a sequenced genome nearing completion. Insertional mutagenesis, gene trapping and enhancer detection are all contributing to the increasing speed with which research in this biomedical model is progressing. We review here some of the recent developments in the emerging field of zebrafish developmental genomics and transgenesis. Developmental Dynamics 234:255–268, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Diabetic retinopathy in pregnancy: a review

The prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy is increasing. Pre‐existing diabetes is present in 1 in 167 pregnancies in Australia, divided equally between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in women during their childbearing years, and pregnancy increases the short‐term risk of diabetic retinopathy progression. We examine the risk factors for progression of diabetic retinopathy during pregnancy including duration of diabetes, baseline level of retinopathy, level of glycaemic control and hypertension. We also examine current screening and management guidelines and their levels of evidence, current treatment options for diabetic retinopathy and avenues for further research.